NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Police are mourning the loss of one of their own. On Monday night, 54-year-old Officer Alfred Celestain died from injuries he sustained when a pick-up truck hit his police cruiser, while on duty early Saturday morning.
Police say the driver, 24-year-old Gino Ray, Jr., was driving under the influence at the time of the crash. Investigators say Ray ran through a red light at the intersection of St. Charles Avenue and St. Joseph, and his pick-up truck plowed into the New Orleans police car.
Celestain and 21-year-old Officer Cory Hankton were inside the cruiser. Hankton suffered injuries to his neck and back, but Celestain's injuries were more severe. Both were taken to a local hospital. Hankton was later released, but Celestain died Monday night.
"He had a broken hip, two cracked vertebrae, injury to his head," New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley said in describing Celestain's injuries. "He had to be extracted from the car. He was stuck in the car, where the fire equipment had to come into get him from the car."
In the Gentilly neighborhood that Celestain called home, those who knew him were shocked by his death.
"I was floored. Alfred -- he was nice guy, he was a care-free guy. He would do anything in the world for anybody," said Dwight Rousseve, a retired NOPD officer, who met Celestain shortly after the 20-year-veteran joined the force. "He was a rookie on the job and he and I kind of took a liking to each other. Took him under my wing and showed him things that were going on in the street and we kind of stuck together for a few years."
Superintendent Riley said Celestain was a police officer with numerous commendations, who stayed through Katrina and did good police work, including foiling an armed robbery attempt at an Algiers bank in February 2008. Yet Riley said Celestain also had a great sense of humor.
"He had a tremendous personality -- a big personality," Riley said. "A really, really fun guy, who loved everybody and made everybody laugh."
Celestain leaves behind three children; the youngest is four years old. First Bank and Trust has set up the "Alfred Celestain Memorial Fund."
Donations can be made at any area branch. Meanwhile, police said the driver of the truck, Gino Ray, Jr., is now expected to face vehicular homicide charges. Eyewitness News tried to contact Ray, but our calls were not returned.
