2003 John McDonogh High School shooting

On the morning of April 14, 2003, two armed men entered the grounds of John McDonogh High School in the Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, through gaps in the perimeter fence. At approximately 10:30 a.m., as students and faculty were entering the school gymnasium for gym class, the two men opened fire on 15-year-old student Jonathan "Caveman" Williams, shooting him at least 20 times. Three female students were wounded in the attack, and a pregnant senior was trampled during the resulting stampede of students fleeing the gymnasium. Williams died at the scene; the two shooters fled the campus immediately afterward. The wounded students recovered from their injuries.

An autopsy performed by Doctor James Taylor found that Williams had been struck by 10 bullets and sustained a laceration from a lead fragment on the left side of his neck. Taylor also found a pistol in Williams's waistband and determined there were no drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of death.

In the investigation that followed, New Orleans Police Department officers commanded by Lieutenant Jimmy Keen attempted to interview witnesses at the school and in their homes. Keen described widespread reluctance among students to cooperate, and a supervising sergeant likened conditions in the neighborhood to deployment in a foreign conflict, describing local residents as unwilling to engage with police.

Court proceedings later established that Steven R. Williams and James Tate carried out the shooting, having been told that Jonathan Williams was involved in the killing of Hillard "Head" Smith IV, a student at Joseph S. Clark High School, one week earlier on April 7, 2003. Raymond Brown, Tyrone Crump, Herbert Everett, and Michelle Fulton were found to have conspired in planning the killing.

In the months following the school shooting, a series of additional killings occurred that investigators linked to retaliation among associates of the two slain teenagers. On October 27, 2003, Myrtis Bickham and Roosevelt Brown Jr., relatives connected to the case, were killed in a shooting outside a residence on Ursuline Street. On October 30, 2003, a third person connected to the Brown family died in a nearby location. Investigators stated that these subsequent killings were carried out by associates of Jonathan Williams seeking to avenge his death, targeting individuals believed responsible even after suspects were already imprisoned.

The court system convicted Steven Williams of second degree murder, resulting in a mandatory life sentence under Louisiana law. James Tate pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to commit second degree murder and received a 15-year sentence. On September 20, 2006, Raymond Brown, Tyrone Crump, Herbert Everett, and Michelle Fulton pleaded guilty to lesser charges related to conspiracy or being an accessory, receiving sentences ranging from five to nine years.