On a tragic evening in New Orleans, 23-year-old James Estem, a male, lost his life in a senseless act of violence. The night of May 11, 2020, turned deadly in the Fisher neighborhood of Algiers when gunfire erupted in a drive-by shooting. Estem was outside with his family when a vehicle approached, and its occupants began firing. He was fatally wounded at the scene.
His mother, Temeka Estem, was heartbreakingly present, holding her son and pleading with him to hold on in his final moments.
The horror of that evening was compounded as the gunfire also struck Estem's 3-year-old brother, Ishaia Adams, and their 48-year-old mother. The mother sustained a gunshot wound to her leg as she tried to shield her youngest child. Little Ishaia was rushed to the hospital but, despite efforts to save him, succumbed to his injuries after multiple surgeries. The profound loss of two sons left their mother and the community devastated.
In the aftermath of the shooting, an investigation led by the New Orleans Police Department began to unfold. The suspects fled the scene in a white GMC truck, which they later crashed into a utility pole. After abandoning the vehicle, they carjacked a man at gunpoint to make their escape. The investigation quickly led to the identification of several suspects.
Authorities arrested two brothers from Terrytown, 19-year-old Ronjae Steadman and 23-year-old Rodney Steadman, in connection with the murders. A third suspect, 19-year-old Razak Adekunle, was also identified but remained at large. In September 2020, a grand jury indicted the Steadman brothers on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and one count of second-degree kidnapping. Prosecutors announced they would not seek the death penalty, but the brothers face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. The search for Adekunle continued, with authorities expecting to charge him upon his arrest.
