15-year-old arrested accused in shooting death of Warren Easton student

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A 15-year-old boy in connection with a Monday night shooting that killed a Warren Easton High School student, was arrested.

According to police, homicide detectives are ruling the shooting as accidental in nature, but the juvenile suspect is facing a negligent homicide charge.

Upon his arrest, the teenager was booked into the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center.

The NOPD says around 8:50 p.m., officers responded to a shooting in the the 3000 block of St. Roch Street. When they arrived, police learned the victim, who is being identified by his football coach as 15-year-old Tyler Ellis, was driven to the hospital where he later died.

Just a few hours earlier, Tyler attended football practice for the New Orleans Dolphins, a seven on seven organization.

“I just received a phone call from his mother, and it took me by surprise,” New Orleans Dolphins Head Football Coach Arsenio Bolds, Sr. said. “I was in disbelief, I was numb, I was at a loss for words. I mean, I really didn’t know what to tell [Tyler’s mother].”

Bolds says one of the purposes of his organization is to keep teenage boys out of trouble by immersing themselves into football and that Tyler was taking the necessary steps to secure a bright future.

“He put in the work to better himself as a young man and as an athlete, and he had all A’s, also,” Bolds said. “So, I mean, just trying to be a teenager and able to live your life, and it’s just to be taken from you.”

Tyler is the second Warren Easton High student killed in a shooting in the past two weeks.

Warren Easton High School officials released a statement on losing the 15-year-old freshmen:

Warren Easton Charter High School is truly heart broken that gun violence continues to impact our city’s young people, and tragically, another one of our students. We extend our deepest condolences and prayers to the family affected.  At Warren Easton, our entire school community is committed to making every effort to build a future of promise for New Orleans. In the meantime, we will continue to offer counseling and additional supports to students, staff, and faculty to help our school community cope with this loss and heal.

Warren Easton Charter High School