A smile that could light up a room is how friends and family remember Rodney Anthony Morris, a 24-year-old student at Delgado Community College with a bright future ahead of him. The beloved son of Shawana Morris and Rodney Clark, he was part of a large, close-knit family, including his stepfather, Charles Wesley, and numerous siblings: Micheal and Corey Dillon, Charven and Charvan Morris, Shanyda and Ronnie Peterson, and Leonard, Ronnel, and Rodney Clark, Jr. His life, full of promise and connection, was tragically cut short, leaving a void in the hearts of those who knew him.
On the evening of Friday, September 12, 2014, the life of this young Black man was ended by violence in New Orleans, Louisiana. The specific details of what happened that night and where the fatal encounter occurred remain shrouded in the pain of the initial event, which left his family and community reeling. In the immediate aftermath, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) opened a homicide investigation, but the case quickly grew cold. For years, there were no arrests and no publicly named suspects, leaving Rodney's loved ones in a painful state of limbo, grappling not only with their profound loss but also with the absence of answers or justice.
The silence in the case stretched on for a full decade. Each anniversary of Rodney's death was a painful reminder for his family that the person responsible for taking his life had not been held accountable. The investigation remained open but inactive in the public eye, one of many cold cases that haunt the city of New Orleans, where families often wait years, and sometimes forever, for a resolution. The lack of progress meant a decade of unanswered questions about why Rodney was killed and who was responsible.
For his family, the years were filled with grief and remembrance. They held onto the memory of a young man who was also a grandson to Joyce Frey, Terry Leban, and Verna Holloway, and a devoted friend to many, including Jessica Buckley. A funeral service was held at the City of Love Church on Palmetto Street on September 20, 2014, where friends and relatives gathered to mourn and say their final goodbyes before he was laid to rest at Providence Park. The large number of siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins mentioned in his obituary speaks to the wide circle of love that surrounded him and the immense collective grief left in the wake of his murder.
As of the latest available information, the investigation into Rodney Morris's homicide has yielded no arrests or public identification of suspects. For ten years, his case has remained unsolved, a source of enduring pain for his family and a stark reminder of the devastating impact of gun violence. Without new leads or information from the public, the path to justice for Rodney remains unclear. His loved ones continue to wait, holding onto the memory of the young college student whose life was stolen far too soon.
