Family members said Ferdinand Woolens had earned honors and a full scholarship.
NEW ORLEANS, La. — Family and classmates are mourning Ferdinand Woolens after the Sophie B. Wright High School graduate was shot in Tremé shortly after finishing high school and later died at a hospital.
The shooting happened early Tuesday in the 1500 block of North Derbigny Street, according to police. Officers found Woolens in an SUV after he had been shot several times. Authorities had not reported an arrest or released suspect information by Monday night.
Woolens had walked across the stage the previous Monday and earned his diploma with honors. His family said he was headed to LSU on a full scholarship and planned to major in engineering. Relatives said he also was a strong student who had scored a 30 on the ACT.
The timing deepened the grief for those closest to him. Family members said they had gathered for a graduation party before the shooting. Nijah Brown said they left the celebration not knowing they would never see him again. She described Woolens as a good and innocent person whose life ended far too soon.
At a Monday prayer service on the Lakefront, loved ones held pictures of Woolens and honored his life with prayer, music and memories. Classmates said his death added to the pain felt by young people who have already lost friends to gunfire.
The investigation remains open. Police have not said what led to the shooting, and no motive has been released. Woolens’ family is now planning funeral arrangements while classmates remember a graduate whose college plans were set to begin in the fall.
Author note: Last updated May 19, 2026.