NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – A shooting in Saint Roch leaves 17-children without a father.
Family members say Ronald Celestine was shot following an argument during a basketball game.
WGNO News Reporter Darian Trotter has details and reaction from neighbors and the victim’s mother.
“It was not gonna happen like that,” the victim’s mother Ida Celestine said.
Words can’t describe this mother’s pain. Her oldest child is the victim of a fatal shooting.
“It’s sad because this guy never does anything to anyone, you know,” neighbor Branden Hayward said. “He goes to the park, he comes back home. He chills, he talks to the youth and for something like this to happen to him it’s a bit overwhelming you know.”
It happened Friday afternoon around 3:15 in the 2800 block of North Rocheblave Street.
Investigators say the body of 35-year old Ronald Celestine was found in a rear room of the residence. He’d been shot multiple times, and died at the scene.
“I just spoke with him shortly asked him how he felt about the weather, said it’s alright and that was it; and moments later heard that he passed man. Just devastating by it you know. Just to be in contact with a person and a few minute later gone,” neighbor Bryan Henderson said.
Detectives scoured the scene, search of clues, in and around the home.
It was the preliminary stage of an investigation that drew the attention of neighbors, who say it all started with an argument at the park.
“I really don’t know, I really don’t know. I know they say he was playing ball,” Celestine’s mother said.
“He got into an altercation with a young man and they was fussing. They passed words and they must have come back this afternoon and most likely with family members or whatever,” Hayward said.
Now the victim’s 17 children are without a father.
Celestine said. “He had 17 children. Trotter asked, “17? Yes sir,” she replied.
“That’s what makes it so devastating to me because now those kids won’t have a father someone will be without a son, an uncle, a nephew or whatever man. It’s the price of life man nobody has value of life bruh,” Henderson said.
Neighbors say Celestine was a great guy who loved children. He’s being remembered as a mentor.
Investigators are following leads in search for the shooter.