In a hail of gunfire on a spring evening in New Orleans, the life of 3-year-old Isaha Adams, a young African American boy, was tragically cut short. On May 11, 2020, at approximately 7:20 p.m., a white GMC truck approached a home on Lebouef Street in Algiers and its occupants opened fire on the family gathered outside. The sudden eruption of violence claimed the lives of Isaha and his 23-year-old brother, James Esteem.
Their 48-year-old mother was also wounded in the leg as she heroically tried to shield her toddler from the onslaught.
The assailants fled the scene in the truck, but their escape was short-lived. They crashed the vehicle into a utility pole near the intersection of General Meyer Avenue and Holiday Drive. Abandoning the wrecked truck, the gunmen then carjacked a man at gunpoint and disappeared into the city. The brazen and senseless nature of the crime sent shockwaves through the community, prompting a swift and intensive investigation by the New Orleans Police Department.
Within a short time, authorities identified three suspects in connection with the fatal drive-by shooting. Two brothers from the nearby community of Terrytown, 19-year-old Ronjae Steadman and 23-year-old Rodney Steadman, were apprehended. A third individual, 19-year-old Razak Adekunle, was also identified as a suspect but remained at large. Investigators pieced together evidence, including surveillance footage and witness statements, which they say implicated the trio in planning and carrying out the attack.
In September 2020, an Orleans Parish grand jury indicted both Ronjae and Rodney Steadman on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and one count of second-degree kidnapping. Following the indictment, the district attorney's office announced that it would not seek the death penalty in this case. If convicted of the first-degree murder charges, the Steadman brothers face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. The search for Razak Adekunle continued, with law enforcement seeking information from the public to bring the final suspect to justice.
