LA - George Carter, 15, community activist, shot to death, New Orleans, 21 Oct 2014

AN EXEMPLARY YOUNG MAN...

SHOT TO DEATH ON HIS WAY TO SCHOOL WITH HIS BODY LEFT LAYING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET.

Police are asking the public for information about his murder.

This young man spent more than half of his short life fighting to fix his community and prevent the exact type of violence that he fell victim to. This is a true loss for New Orleans as well as the whole country and, knowing many of us in the WS community are South Louisiana and/or NOLA residents, I felt like he deserves his own thread to see if we can help.

Here are links to News Articles on his Murder:

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/10/for_new_orleans_teens_death_th.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/...d-justice-to-vulnerable-kids-in-his-hometown#

http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/news/10604999-123/teen-killed-in-desire-remembered

http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/new...er-wanted-to-have-with-my-11-year-old-rethink

Just want to see if anyone on here can help piece together a motive for shooting this young man, who by all accounts, stayed away from trouble.

So tragic. George, fly high and watch over Nola!

Avixen, I'm not from NOLA, but I am touched by the tragic death of this wonderful young man. It seems like so many young people leading exemplary lives are being gunned down for no apparent reason. I followed a couple of cases in NJ and read about several others in that state. The motive is sometimes robbery/attempted robbery (Cheyanne Bond and Brendan Tevlin) or sometimes they are hit by a stray bullet (e.g., Genesis Rincon). When a body is found riddled with bullets, the latter can be ruled out.

Also, troublemakers, e.g., drug dealers and gang members, may have taken offense at George's positive messages because he drew away business/caused their gang to weaken when some changed their ways. So, there would be those who considered young George a rival just by inducing change where they were comfortable with the status quo. Maybe there were even classmates who felt George's example of hard work set a classroom precedent that they were unable to match.

Another possible motive, IMO, may be jealousy. George had accomplished more in his short life than many people could hope to accomplish in a lifetime. There are people who are not inspired by the accomplishments of others to attain to higher goals themselves, but instead develop a hatred for high achievers because it reminds them of their own worthlessness by contrast.

I hope George's killer(s) will eventually be found and believe he/they will. I wonder if the bullets are all from the same gun? Have they been compared to the bullets from other victims gunned down in the area. The killer(s) is/are likely to talk, trying to sell any device (i-pod, i-pad, cell phone) stolen from George, bragging of their deeds or threatening others with a similar demise. If the motive is jealousy or antagonism, the killer(s) cannot resist boasting of his/their bravado and self-proclaimed ingenuity.

It's also a school where many of the roughly 160 students are regularly exposed to violence and death once they leave the classroom. Five NET students were gunned down in a span of six months last year.

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http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/10/for_new_orleans_teens_death_th.html

My condolences to George's family and friends.

How utterly heartbreaking.

Hopefully justice will be swift and punishment harsh.

http://www.citylab.com/crime/2014/1...-effort-to-stop-murder-in-new-orleans/383997/

They found George D. Carter III shot dead in the middle of Piety Street in the Desire neighborhood, just as a fine fall morning dawned.

Only 15 years old, Carter had already made a big impression in his native city, working since the age of seven with the group Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools, where he helped advocate for more meaningful education and healthier food in the city’s school system. He had just started an internship with a legal organization that provides support to prisoners on death row.

Carter’s death, on October 21, attracted more attention than most of this year’s murders in New Orleans because he was such a bright star. Murder, in general, is an old, worn-out story in this city.

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