On the evening of September 15, 2024, Teressa Calligan, a 41-year-old Black woman, was driving home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A respected community educator, cybersecurity specialist, and minister, she had just left a campaign event for a relative running for a local judgeship. Around 9:30 p.m., as she waited at a traffic light on Airline Highway, another vehicle pulled alongside her SUV. Someone inside opened fire, striking her multiple times.
Teressa Calligan was pronounced dead at the scene. After she was shot, her vehicle rolled into the intersection and crashed into several other cars, including a sheriff’s office cruiser occupied by two deputies who were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The sudden, violent death of the mother of two sent shockwaves through her community. At the Walls Project, Calligan served as the Dean of Coding, helping teens gain skills in technology. Her bishop at Oasis Church remembered her devotion to helping others, stating, “This is not supposed to happen to her. None of her lifestyle was a reflection of how she was taken out.” Family members expressed their bewilderment, suggesting that the shooting must have been a case of mistaken identity.
The Baton Rouge Police Department’s investigation spanned several months. In June 2025, authorities announced the arrests of three men whom they identified as members of a local street gang. The suspects were David Catherine, 22, a rapper who performs as 'Real Bleeda'; Roger Parker, 20; and Robert Lewis, 19. At the time of the new charge, Parker was already incarcerated for his alleged role in the separate shooting death of an 8-year-old boy.
David Catherine, Roger Parker, and Robert Lewis were later indicted on charges of first-degree murder and obstruction of justice in connection with Teressa Calligan's death. Catherine pleaded not guilty and, in June 2026, filed a notice of alibi, claiming he was at his residence in West Baton Rouge Parish when the shooting occurred. At a subsequent bond hearing, his former girlfriend testified that he had been with her on the night of the murder.
Despite the alibi testimony, a judge denied bond for David Catherine in August 2026. The judge acknowledged that the case against him was largely circumstantial but stated that it would be up to a future jury to evaluate the alibi. As of August 2026, the case against all three men was pending a jury trial.
