New Orleans charter school dean among 5 killed in shootings
Five people were shot and killed in New Orleans over Memorial Day weekend, including a charter school dean known as a “tough but fair” leader, colleagues said.
Reginald Field, 50, the head dean of students and athletic director at Andrew H. Wilson Charter School, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting on A.P. Tureaud Avenue in the city’s 7th Ward minutes after midnight Saturday, the New Orleans Advocate reported.
A suspect or possible motive has yet to be identified and investigators were continuing to gather evidence in the case Tuesday, a police spokesman told The Post. No additional details were immediately available.
The head of the school, Lee Green, said Field’s death is a “huge loss” for the entire institution, both staffers and students alike.
“He was tough but fair, firm but consistent,” Green told the Advocate. “He was the dean that trained all of our other deans and taught them how it was, not just about discipline but everything else that came with it.”
All of Field’s energy was directed toward the students, Green said, adding that he regularly spoke for hours on the phone with parents and occasionally bought sports jerseys or other clothing for underprivileged kids.
“He would tell children, ‘Your situation doesn’t dictate your future,’” teacher Miesha Jackson told the newspaper.
The basketball fanatic and New Jersey native also found ways to incorporate his favorite NBA player, LeBron James, into his discussions with students.
“He had a championship mentality,” Jackson continued. “He also wanted to make sure that the school was winning, whether it was in academics or in extracurriculars.”
Students and school staffers are expected to memorialize Field during a service on Wednesday near the scene of the shooting.
The spate of shootings left 13 others injured.
