An 18-year-old man, Revell Dewan 'Velly Vell' Andrews, lost his life in a shooting on the afternoon of Monday, June 26, 2023, in New Orleans, Louisiana. A member of the renowned Andrews musical family and a cousin of Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews, Revell was a recent graduate of McDonough 35 High School and an aspiring tuba player with plans to attend Southern University in the fall.
He was known as a straight-A student and a sweet-natured individual who was deeply loved by his family.
On that fateful day, at approximately 2:45 p.m., police responded to a call of a shooting in the 2500 block of St. Claude Avenue. Upon arrival, they discovered Revell inside a vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigations revealed that he was a passenger in a Jeep at a gas station when a man was seen staring at the occupants. Shortly after they drove away, a car pulled up alongside them and a single shot was fired through the passenger window, striking Revell.
In the days following the shooting, the New Orleans Police Department released a bulletin seeking a person of interest and a black Mazda SUV believed to be connected to the homicide. The investigation quickly led to the identification of a 14-year-old male as the suspect. An arrest warrant for one count of murder was issued for the juvenile.
On June 28, 2023, the 14-year-old suspect's mother brought him to the Fifth District police station, where he was taken into custody without incident. He was subsequently transported to the Juvenile Justice Center and booked on the murder charge. The swift arrest brought a small measure of closure to a grieving family and community, who mourned the senseless loss of a talented and promising young life cut tragically short.
