Former Northwestern State University football player Ronnie Caldwell, Jr. was murdered in his off-campus apartment on October 12th, 2023. Earlier this week, the family announced it had filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the university, the school's former football coach, and the apartment complex where he lived. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

Caldwell, who was a junior at the University, died after he was shot multiple times by his roommate in the apartment the two shared. According to the family, Caldwell moved into the Quad Apartment Complex and lived with a fellow NSU football teammate. After discovering mold in the apartment, Caldwell moved out and was transferred to a new apartment within the same complex.

After moving into the new apartment, he was placed with a new roommate, 27-year-old John McIntosh. According to the family’s lawsuit, McIntosh was not a university student. However, the apartment complex was known to have tenants who were students and non-students. The lawsuit details that despite having lived together for only a short time, both McIntosh and Caldwell had engaged in a number of verbal altercations.

On October 9th, Caldwell allegedly told his family that McIntosh had held him at gunpoint. Caldwell told his father about the incident, and his father relayed the information to NSU head football coach Brad Laird. Laird assured the family that Caldwell would be moved to a safe location. However, just three days later, on October 12th, Laird called the family to notify them their son had been shot multiple times and succumbed to his injuries.

The lawsuit highlights several issues, including the manner in which the school and the coach handled initial complaints and the apartment complex's knowledge of prior criminal activity that made Caldwell’s death foreseeable.

The lawsuit implicates legal principles of premises liability and vicarious liability. Under Louisiana law, premises liability holds that property owners have a duty to make sure their premises are reasonably safe. If this duty is violated and an individual such as a tenant gets injured, the landlord could be held responsible.

Under vicarious liability, a supervisory party can be held responsible for the unlawful or reckless actions of a subordinate party.

Caldwell’s father explains during a press conference, "All I have to say is this could have been prevented. I called the coach. I texted him and asked him, 'Please move my son. Somebody pulled a gun. I need you to move him. Get him away from there. Get him in a hotel until I can get there. I'll be there this weekend.'

He adds, "Next thing I know, the next phone call I get from this man is at 2:07 a.m. and my son is deceased. Now, how do you feel being a man like me? I call myself being protector. I've been protecting my whole family all their life and I get this call and all I asked him to do is to move my son. What's so hard?”

Caldwell’s mother, Blanche Caldwell, an educator herself, said the school failed in its duty to protect her son. “There was nothing put in place to protect my son. The school failed to protect my son.”

The family is seeking a jury trial and monetary damages for losses, including mental anguish, loss of consortium, pecuniary loss, funeral expenses, and other losses.

Laird issued a statement of his own after the murder, sharing, "Due to the loss of Ronnie and the emotional burden it has caused me, I don't feel I can give my all to these players or this program. Any coach will tell you that their players become like family, so the loss of Ronnie was like losing a son. I love this program and this university, and I know it will persevere and move forward with the competitive spirit that is at the core of our DNA."

During a press conference, the family’s lawyer, Troy Pradia, pushed back against Laird's statement, noting that "If he was like a son, he would've protected him," adding, "All his father wanted was his son to be moved to a safer location."