Kenneth Smith Jr., 15, was fatally shot on June 15, 2025, in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward at St. Maurice Avenue and North Prieur Street. Neighbors reported a gathering of teenagers, a dispute, and then gunfire. Kenneth had been at a party and was walking with friends to a neighborhood store when another group of people approached; members of that group opened fire, striking him.

Family described Kenneth as respectful and not one to get into trouble. The shooting prompted a vigil at Harold Park where friends and relatives remembered him and appealed publicly for information. As of late June 2025 the New Orleans Police Department was investigating but no suspects had been publicly identified or arrested.

Anyone who was in the area that evening or who has information about the confrontation on St. Maurice Avenue and North Prieur Street is asked to contact investigators.