NEW ORLEANS – On Christmas evening, 14-year-old Jamere Alfred was murdered in a drive-by shooting at the Walgreens on Lake Forest and Bullard. NOPD detectives say he was with two family members when a gunman opened fire in the parking lot.
“It’s never OK for a 14-year-old boy — who has his entire life ahead of him — to be gunned down,” the CEO and President of Crimestoppers, Darlene Cusanza told WGNO.
This week, an anonymous person donated $5,000 to the reward money leading to an arrest and indictment– increasing Crimestoppers’ total reward fund to $10,000.
“It will go a long way and we hope that God blesses you just how you’ve blessed us,” Jamere’s father, John Alfred said. “At this point, we’re not here for closure as much as we’re here for the truth. We need to find out what happened that night– what led up to this tragic event?”
According to detectives, very little information has been given to help solve this case. New Orleans Superintendent Shaun Ferguson is urging the community to step up to help find Jamere’s killer.
“This is The City of New Orleans coming together to bring forth healing — not just to the Alfred family — to this entire city and we need to look forward to that,” Ferguson said.
“When we say Jamere’s name, let’s be the creative source of not allowing our community to fall victim to this type of crime again,” explained Cusanza.
If you have any information regarding Jamere Alfred’s case, please call the New Orleans homicide division at (504) 658- 5300. You can also tip anonymously by calling Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111.