Ronald LaWayne Caldwell Jr., 21, was shot and killed in the early morning of October 12, 2023, on the 3800 block of University Parkway in Natchitoches. Officers arrived about 1:08 a.m. after reports of gunfire and found Caldwell with multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene by the Natchitoches Parish Coroner’s Office.

Known to family as Doogie and to friends as Ro, Caldwell was a junior studying business administration at Northwestern State University and a member of the football team who had shifted to a sideline coaching role after an injury. He had made the Southland Conference Commissioner's Fall Honor Roll in 2022 and was described as devoted to family and community.

Two men were arrested on the day of the shooting on weapons- and drug-related charges: Caldwell’s roommate, 27-year-old John McIntosh of Natchitoches, and 22-year-old teammate Maurice Campbell II of Memphis, who was later removed from the team roster. Neither arrest was for the homicide, and the person responsible for Caldwell’s death remains at large; civil claims against Northwestern State were later dismissed.

If anyone has information about what happened that night, please share tips with the Natchitoches Police Department.