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New Orleans Man Is Remembered in a Unique Way at His Wake


Vic Mackey

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NEW ORLEANS-- Renard Matthews was killed in New Orleans 2 weeks ago.  He was a young 18 years old, and while the tragedy of losing him so young weighs heavy on his family, they chose to have his body prepared for Sunday afternoon's wake in a way that they want to remember him.

At the Charbonnet Labat Glapion Funeral Home in Treme, Matthews was sitting in a chair, video game controller in hand, surrounded by his favorite snacks, and his beloved Boston Celtics on the television screen.

Matthew's mother Temeka says her son was a bit of a homebody, who only recently started to venture out to walk the dog she'd recently gotten him.  Temeka Matthews also said that her son was a big fan of Celtics guard Kyrie Irving.

Family and friends gathered for Sunday's wake.  Renard Matthews will be buried Tuesday.

 

 

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An awful story.  Buried on what would have been his 18th birthday.

https://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2018/06/person_shot_killed_in_florida.html#incart_most-read_

A teenager died late Monday (June 25) after he was shot in the head on Independence Street, in the Florida area of New Orleans, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

Authorities received a call at about 9:40 p.m. that a person was "down" near the intersection of North Tonti and Independence streets. Arriving at the scene, police found a 17-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the head, NOPD said.

Natasha Joseph, who identified herself as an aunt of the victim, said her nephew was a high school student who played recreational football and basketball and was walking his dog when he was shot to death. Joseph said her nephew was also robbed of his cellphone. Police have not given any possible motive for the shooting, or said whether a robbery was involved.

As she tried to comfort another relative late Monday, Joseph stressed that her nephew was part of a good, hardworking family, with a mom who runs a neighborhood daycare. 

Melvin Morgan, who said he lives near the family, said he didn't hear or see what happened, but when he heard that his young neighbor had been fatally shot, he was stunned.

"A nice young man," neighbor Melvin Morgan said. Morgan said he had talked with the teenager earlier, as the boy was walking his dog about 6 p.m.

Morgan was among dozens of neighbors and family members who gathered near the police tape on Independence Street, between North Tonti and North Rocheblave late Monday. Crowd members huddled in small groups, some embracing and offering support to the victim's grieving relatives. 

On North Tonti, right before Independence, officers had set up a shield used to screen bodies from public view. Earlier in the night, a body could be seen lying on the street near the shield. Moments later, officers erected another shield to more fully hide the body from view.

"That's my cousin," a woman screamed.

At one point, someone ran through the police tape and bolted toward the teen's body as others followed, rushing past the fallen tape.

Police officers tried to calm the group, which had grown to more than 30 people by 10:30 p.m. Officers re-strung yellow tape across Independence near the crowd, as a woman began shrieking, and the original tape lay on the street.

Just beyond the freshly strung tape, a woman sat on the sidewalk, another woman embracing her, as they sobbed.

Further down Independence Street, toward North Rocheblave Street, more people stood in small groups, watching investigators work.

A woman who also lives in the area, but who declined to be identified, said she heard about five gunshots and then saw the teenager on the ground.

"We got to do better than this," she said. 

Edited by clapclapclap
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1 hour ago, South Austin said:

They could have a similar wake for me, but instead of a game controller I'd be holding a box of tissues and some lotion.

Gotta go with a replay of the 1994 Red River Shootout, with coupons for attendees of the wake to receive their choice of either 1 free Whataburger or 1 free In-N-Out burger for the trouble of coming to pay respects...

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