A Dad Was Shot and Killed as He Picked Up His Son from Daycare. Now, the Alleged Shooter Is Dead Too By Charlotte Phillipp

Police in New Orleans are searching for answers after a suspect in a deadly carjacking was found with a gunshot wound to the head 15 minutes after the crime.

According to NOLA.com, WDSU and WVUE, 21-year-old Raymond Wells was accused of fatally shooting Carl Morgan, 36, on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) said Wells was suspected of fatally shooting Morgan and stealing his car at around 5:15 p.m. local time that day as he was picking his son up from daycare on the city’s Canal Street.

Wells then allegedly took off in Morgan’s car, leaving the father and son in the parking lot of the daycare. Just 15 minutes later, the vehicle rolled to a stop on Interstate 10 in Metairie, a town just outside of New Orleans city limits, and Wells was found unresponsive behind the wheel.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Oct. 1, NOPD Deputy Chief Nicholas Gernon said that Wells had been shot once in the head and was in “extremely grave condition” at a local hospital.

“Should Mr. Wells recover from his wounds, he will be booked with first-degree murder,” Gernon said at the time.

By Sunday, Oct. 5, NOPD spokesperson Karen Boudrie confirmed to NOLA.com and WVUE that Wells had died that morning.

During the Oct. 1 press conference, Deputy Chief Gernon alleged that Wells may have been breaking into cars near New Orleans’ Bienville Street just before the carjacking incident and was spotted by some bystanders, whom he shot at, along with some nearby vehicles.

According to Gernon, those people were cooperating with police, and investigators are trying to determine if anyone shot back at Wells.

Following the carjacking, NOPD officers were able to track down Morgan’s car using automatic license plate readers, per NOLA.com. Investigators were notified about the car being stopped at around 6:30 p.m. Officers quickly found Wells suffering from a gunshot wound inside, and he was transported to a local hospital.

The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office is set to perform an autopsy on Wells, Boudrie added.

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Friends and family have identified Morgan as a sous chef at the beloved French Quarter restaurant Brennan’s and a father of one.

In an Instagram post, the restaurant wrote that Morgan’s “senseless and untimely death is heartbreaking.”

“Carl was a devoted father, loving partner, cherished son and friend to all. His remarkable talent, positive energy and immeasurable impact will be sorely missed at Brennan’s,” the restaurant added.

“Hug your loved ones tighter, give grace, be nice and live big like Carl,” the post concluded.

A GoFundMe page organized to support Morgan’s partner, Lisa, and son, Silas, has so far garnered more than $45,000 in donations.

“We lost our friend far too soon,” the page reads. “The shock still hasn’t faded. Losing someone with that kind of energy and presence leaves a hole you can feel. He wasn’t just a chef — he was a force. He pushed, inspired, mentored, and made every kitchen feel alive.”

The fundraiser message continued: “But more than anything, Carl was a family man. His son, Silas, was his world — his reason, his pride, and his heartbeat. And right there beside him was Lisa, his partner in life — his rock, his love, and his best friend. Every long day, every grind, every ounce of passion Carl poured out was for them. Together, they were his home and his purpose.”

Speaking to WVUE, Shawn Anglim, the pastor at First Grace United Methodist Church — which neighbors the daycare center where Morgan was picking up his son — said that teachers heard the gunfire and ushered the children inside just moments after the shooting.

“One of the teachers heard the gunfire on Bienville and said, ‘Let’s get inside,’ and they immediately moved all the children inside,” Anglim said.

The daycare has now added extra security during the dropoff and pickup times, Anglim said, and the church is considering implementing additional safety measures.

“As we move through this time, we’ll all make a decision together,” the pastor told WVUE. “A man lost his life. A child lost his father. A partner lost her love of her life, and we all lost a vibrant light in the city of New Orleans.”