Sam Jackson Identified As Man Shot Dead In Marigny; Brass Band founder, Mardi Gras Indian
Sam Jackson Identified As Man Shot Dead In Marigny; Brass Band founder, Mardi Gras Indian
The victim of Friday morning’s shooting in Faubourg Marigny has been recognized as a father, the creator of the brass band Young Fellaz, and a regular at Mardi Gras Indian communities in New Orleans.
At before 10 a.m., Sam Jackson, 32, was shot to death and another guy was gravely injured at the junction of St. Anthony and North Rampart streets. The police have not given much details about the crime.
A friend said that Jackson was shot and killed on Friday, May 5, 2023, in Faubourg Marigny.
Jackson was the wild man in the Young Generation Black Feather tribe, one of the many Mardi Gras Indian, or Black disguising Indian, organizations in the city. He also played drums for Young Fellaz and performed with other bands.
According to Jackson friend Tommy Elsworth, he had a gig planned on Friday night after the 2023 Jazz & Heritage Festival. Reuben Evans, the victim’s cousin, stated that he was scheduled to perform at the festival one more on Saturday.
Jackson’s passing marked the Young Fellaz’ third loss so far this year, according to Evans; two other band members recently passed away from drug overdoses.
According to Evans, the spyboy for the Black Feather tribe, his passing also damages the tribe.
“He will be sorely missed. We may not even survive. We might take a year off,” suggested Evans. That demonstrates how much the gang valued him.
According to Evans, Jackson was raised in a Mardi Gras Indian and musician household on Frenchmen Street in the Marigny. He graduated from Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School, where he led his section in the band and played tuba, snare drum, and bass drum.
On Friday, May 5, 2023, some nine hours after Sam Jackson was shot and killed in Faubourg Marigny, friends and relatives shouted to Mardi Gras Indian rhythms at a memorial service for the 32-year-old musician, father, and Mardi Gras Indian Sam Jackson at Tuba Fats Square in New Orleans.
His aunt, Linda Tapp, claimed that soon after graduating, he assisted in founding Young Fellaz.
“He was modest. At a memorial service held in his honor on Friday night in Treme’s Tuba Fats Square, Tapp remarked, “He was quiet. To get him to truly talk, you had to go to him.
“He was in his own little world when he beat that drum,” she continued. That drum was his thing, specifically.
Evans claimed that his cousin Jackson was also kind: Jackson contributed money for Troy Smith’s burial when his friend was shot and killed on February 22 in the Pines Village neighborhood.
Evans stated, “That’s what he did. “He was a front-liner.”
Amazingly, despite taking place less than nine hours after Jackson’s death, the tribute drew hundreds of attendees, some of whom brought musical instruments, as well as drink sellers stationed on two street corners and a food truck at the end of the block.
Samani, the dead man’s 3-year-old daughter, wore a shirt with his photo and the phrase “Long Live Daddy” in big, black letters.
Jackson was in the Marigny on Friday morning, but Tapp claimed she had no idea why, and the police department has not provided any other details about the incident or its cause. Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans Inc. can be reached anonymously at (504) 822-1111 or via email at crimestoppersgno.org. Cash rewards are possible for tippers.
