Mother of UN student paralyzed in August shooting urges district attorney to try shooting suspect as adult

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The mother of a 24-year-old man who was shot and paralyzed from the waist down in an August armed robbery said she was informed by Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams’ office about the case against a juvenile, one of two male suspects in the shooting. was judged by the juvenile court. If the decision is not overturned, the juvenile could be released in just a few years.

Noah, a UNO student studying marine engineering, was walking in his Lake Terrace neighborhood on the night of Aug. 18 when a black car pulled up next to him. The passenger jumped out with a gun and demanded his phone and wallet.

He said he didn’t have his wallet with him, but he handed over his phone. Then he said that the driver also got out of the car.

“Call it a feeling when the driver got out, he felt more aggressive,” he said. “They came very close, still pointed their weapons at me and I defended myself. I pulled out the knife. I almost hit the driver’s shoulder.”

He said he wasn’t sure if one or both of the suspects fired, but he was shot twice. They sped off and left him dead on the sidewalk, the only help nearby coming from a nearby Pinnacle Security officer.

“To be honest, I worried the most about my mother. “I wasn’t too worried about myself,” Noah said. “My mom had lost a son before, so obviously I was worried about what would happen if she lost another one in her life.”

“I just left it up to fate, and obviously fate decided I still needed to be here to do something.”

One of the bullets broke his rib, bone fragments flew into the spinal cord. He was paralyzed from the waist down, dashing his dream of working in the shipyards after graduation.

“Obviously, now that I’m in a wheelchair, I need to rethink what I want to do in marine engineering,” Noah said. “I have to put more of my energy into just worrying about getting dressed, doing everyday things that someone else wouldn’t have to do.”

The outcome of the event changed Noah’s life, who said he now feels he has become a burden to his mother.

“There’s a pretty high chance I’ll never walk again, based on what the doctors are saying,” he said. “The changes that this has caused are so huge that it’s hard to just put it into words.”

FOX 8 is not identifying Noah or his mother because one of the suspects in the shooting remains at large. But the other, who according to Noah’s mother was only 15 years old, was arrested.

She said she was told by Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams’ office that he is now scheduled to be tried in juvenile court. Unless the case goes to adult court, the juvenile faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, meaning he would be released at age 21.

“I’m fighting to get this case to adult court,” she said. “He has a life sentence because this man pulled the trigger. When he pulled the trigger, he made that choice. My son didn’t choose to be in a wheelchair, this man put him in a wheelchair.”

FOX 8 reached out to Williams’ office multiple times via email and text, but did not hear back. We also requested an interview with Williams, not to discuss the case specifically, but to talk about the factors that go into taking a case to adult court, but we have not heard back.

Noah’s mother said Wednesday that Williams’ office contacted her to set up a Nov. 16 meeting. She said she hopes the outcome of that meeting will result in the case being referred to adult court.

“The damage done to him is so egregious that he needs to go to an adult court where the judge will have more powers,” she said.

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