Courtney Hughes, a 19-year-old African American freshman nursing student at Southern University, was shot and killed during a party at a short-term rental in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward in the early hours of December 26, 2022. She had been home visiting family for the Christmas holiday when gunfire erupted at a gathering of young people. Another 19-year-old, Kyron Peters, was also killed; four other teenagers were wounded and taken to a local hospital.

Friends and family remembered Hughes as outgoing, kind, and a beautiful spirit whose life was cut short just as she pursued nursing. The New Orleans Police Department identified a suspect, and in January 2023 19-year-old Elijah Williams was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder and four counts of attempted second-degree murder. The investigation is ongoing.

If anyone attended that gathering or has information about what happened that night, please share what you know.