In the warm evening of June 11, 2014, a tragedy unfolded in the St. Roch neighborhood of New Orleans that cut short the promising life of 17-year-old Johan Kinner. A Black/African American male, Kinner, known affectionately as 'Yogi' to his friends and family, was a student and a talented athlete at Landry-Walker High School, playing both football and basketball. His future, however, was violently extinguished when he was shot and killed at the St.
Roch Playground.
Johan had recently undergone ACL surgery, a significant setback for any athlete. This injury tragically played a role in his final moments. When gunfire erupted at the playground, his physical limitation reportedly prevented him from being able to run for cover as quickly as others. He was struck in the back and succumbed to his injuries. Family members expressed their belief that Johan was not the intended target of the shooting, making his death an even more senseless act of violence. His coaches and peers remembered him as a good student-athlete with a bright future ahead of him.
In the wake of the shooting, the New Orleans Police Department launched an investigation that led to the arrest of 18-year-old Danshaun Hampton. Already in custody on unrelated firearm and probation violation charges, Hampton was subsequently booked with the second-degree murder of Johan Kinner. The arrest brought a measure of progress to the investigation, though it could not undo the profound loss felt by Johan's loved ones and the Landry-Walker High School community.
