On December 4, 2024, 18-year-old Jairus Jeremiah Gayden was found unresponsive inside a residence in the 7900 block of Bullard Avenue in the Little Woods neighborhood of New Orleans. Emergency Medical Services pronounced him deceased at the scene. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death was gunshot-related injuries and classified the death as a homicide.

The NOPD Homicide Section took over the investigation. Detectives identified a 15-year-old male as the primary suspect. On December 11, 2024, members of the NOPD’s Violent Offender Warrant Squad and the U.S. Marshals located and arrested the juvenile at a residence in the Seventh District; the teen was booked on one count of second-degree murder into the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center. Motive and the nature of any relationship between Gayden and the suspect have not been released.

If anyone in Little Woods saw or heard anything on December 4, or has information about Jairus Jeremiah Gayden’s last hours, please share what is known with investigators.