NEW ORLEANS — It was a day of mourning Monday at Edna Karr High School in New Orleans as students and staff dealt with the loss of senior Caleb Johnson, someone who school leaders call a jokester who was always smiling.
“We definitely lost an exceptional student,” said Jamar McKneely, CEO of Inspire NOLA, which is the charter system that oversees the Algiers based school.
“He always liked to joke with his fellow students, even about our football coach,” McKneely said. “It’s definitely a large loss for our Edna Karr High School family.”
McKneely says the 18-year-old was just weeks away from graduation with big plans for the future. He was a cornerback on the football team, a duke on the homecoming court his junior year and was well-known on campus. McKneely says he also excelled in the classroom and planned to join the U.S. Navy.
“He was excited about applying for the Navy, to actually leave New Orleans to conquer the world,” McKneely said.
Johnson was killed Sunday, along with another woman during a triple shooting at an apartment complex on Tullis Drive. Johnson’s mother, DeCarlas O’Neal-Johnson, tells our partners at the Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate that woman was Johnson’s older step-sister, 25-year-old Breyiana Brown. Another person was shot, but survived. O’Neal-Johnson says that was her son’s girlfriend, also a senior at Edna Karr.
“We’re still hoping and praying for a recovery for that student,” McKneely said. “We’re still hoping that student actually is able to come back to school and graduate.”
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Police say the three were in a vehicle at Cypress Run Apartments as someone attempted to sell a gun to a man. For some reason, police say that man started shooting. McKneely says this type of senseless gun violence needs to end.
“It’s just heart wrenching to understand how often a gun is used against a family member, which we consider them in our organization,” McKneely said.
With impacts of gun violence now reaching through the halls of Edna Karr, McKneely hopes it can become a lesson for change.
“We hope that Caleb’s loss does not go in vain, that we understand as a community, as a society that we need to rally together and support our group and our youth as a whole,” McKneely said.
A memorial is being planned for Johnson and he will be honored during graduation ceremonies. There have been no arrests in this case. If you know anything, call Crimestoppers at 504-822-111 or New Orleans Police.