Sixteen-year-old Jamal Prince Kelson Surtain was shot and killed on April 8, 2015, in a double shooting on Franklin Avenue in the Edgewood Park neighborhood of New Orleans. The killing was one of many that spring tied to the city’s ongoing problem with gun violence, and it left family and neighbors mourning a young life ended abruptly.

Initial reports from the New Orleans Police Department gave few details, and for years the case remained publicly unresolved, leaving questions about who was responsible and how the investigation proceeded. Community accounts indicate that an individual named Carlos Heard was later charged in connection with the murder, but specific information about the investigative steps, arrest date, or court proceedings has not been widely publicized.

If anyone knew Jamal, witnessed the shooting, or has information about the events on Franklin Avenue that night, please come forward and share what can help bring clarity to the case.