The dean of students at a Broadmoor charter school he helped found was among four people shot dead in New Orleans in the last two days, according to the charter that employed him.
Reginald Field, 50, had been the head dean of students at Wilson Charter School, located on General Pershing between South Tonti and South Miro streets, for the last four years. A spokeswoman for InspireNOLA Charter Schools, which operates Wilson, confirmed Field was the person killed in a shooting shortly after midnight Saturday in the 2400 block of A.P. Tureaud Avenue, in the 7th Ward.
Field was a founding member of Wilson Charter School’s team when InspireNOLA took over its operation in the summer of 2015, according to the charter network’s spokeswoman, Emily Hartnett. Field served as the school’s head dean since then, she said.
In a statement, InspireNOLA CEO Jamar McKneely said he has had the “troubling experience” of attending funerals for three students this year, “and now I will be attending the funeral of a devoted staff member.”
NOPD said officers responding about 12:10 a.m. Saturday to a shooting found a man, identified by InspireNOLA as Field, with gunshot wounds to his body. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene.
“Mr. Field was an incredible person who cared deeply for his students and for his community, and we are committed to remembering him and honoring his legacy as we grapple with our pain and begin to heal,” McKneely said.
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Within 48 hours from the time Field was killed, 14 other people were wounded or killed by gunfire in New Orleans, according to New Orleans police. About 10 p.m. the same day as Field’s homicide, two people were shot a block away from where Field was shot dead. Teenagers accounted for at least three of those who were shot.
“I find myself extremely frustrated and tired of the senseless violence that is affecting our city and our students. In all of my 17 years in education, I have never before experienced more pain, suffering, and death in one year due to senseless gun violence,” McKneely said. “This weekend and this year have brought me to tears and agony that I cannot explain here in words. I am frustrated, confused, and angry; it is our families and our children who are continuously hurt — directly and indirectly — by this unceasing violence, and it must stop.”
InspireNOLA’s school year is ending with the fatal shooting of Field, who a statement from the network described as “a pillar of the Wilson and InspireNOLA family." The network was impacted by deadly gun violence at the start of the school year, as well.
Just over two weeks into the school year, on August 24, 2018, students at the InspireNOLA-run Eleanor McMain Secondary School gathered in the gym there for a “peace rally” following the death of freshman Chance Smith. Smith, 15, was shot dead six days earlier inside an Algiers home. A 17-year-old, Michael Dixon, was arrested in the case and faces a charge of second-degree murder.
A vigil to honor Field is planned for Wednesday outside of Bullets Sports Bar, which sits in the same block where Field was killed. A memorial service is set for June 1, with details pending.
Anyone with information about Field’s death is asked to contact NOPD Homicide Detective Bruce Brueggeman at 504-658-5300 or provide information anonymously through Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
https://www.nola.com
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