Funeral services for Grambling State University junior Reginald “Rody” Lucas, 21, will be held Saturday, June 18 in New Orleans.A Candle light vigil was held in front of the dormority 800 on Sunday in the memory of Lucas.
Lucas was shot while stopped at a traffic light in Harvey, a New Orleans suburb, early Tuesday morning.
Lucas was in grave condition upon arrival at the hospital and was pronounced dead late Tuesday evening.
According to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff Office, Lucas had just left a nightclub in the 3700 block of the West Bank Expressway when he was shot in the head.
The driver, fellow Grambling student Ryan Jackson, reported that a small white car pulled up next to the car they were riding in and opened fire, hitting Lucas, who was sitting in the front passenger seat. Jackson was not injured.
Lucas was rushed to Western Jefferson Medical Center, where he had emergency surgery. Following the surgery, he was pronounced brain dead and placed on life support.
Many students are finding it difficult to accept the loss of somebody who was seen on campus less than a week before. Lucas was very popular among students at GSU.
Mass communication major Marc Haymond knew Lucas very well.
“Rody was like a fun person to be around,” Haymond said. “He didn’t smoke or drink. It was always jokes when he was around.”
Senior Carl Cobbins, a cornerback on the GSU football team who is also from New Orleans, shared Haymond’s sentiments.
“Rody was a cool dude to be around. He cracked jokes,” Cobbins said.
“He didn’t mean any harm to anybody. He always was trying to help people and kept people laughing.”
Anyone with additional information on the shooting is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 504-364-5300 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 877-903-7867.