On the morning of September 15, 2024, the intersection of Airline Highway and Greenwell Street was supposed to be like any other a routine junction in a city battling both growth and violence. Instead, it became the site of a heartbreaking tragedy. As 41-year-old Teressa Calligan drove through the crossing, she was caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. A single bullet ended her life. Her car slammed into a sheriff’s deputy’s unit, the final punctuation in what police would confirm was not a random attack just tragically misdirected. Calligan was an innocent bystander.
Her death has since haunted Baton Rouge a city already weary from years of gang-related turmoil. But the shock deepened on June 10, 2025, when police arrested 22-year-old Baton Rouge rapper David Catherine, known publicly as Real Bleeda. Authorities charged him with first-degree murder, alleging he was targeting someone else that day. Instead, a beloved educator and community advocate lost her life.
To thousands of young people across Baton Rouge, Teressa Calligan was “Dean T,” a beacon of opportunity in a city shadowed by inequity. As Dean of Coding at The Walls Project’s Futures Fund, Calligan helped train more than 4,000 teens in tech skills since 2014. Her influence extended beyond classrooms: she also worked as a cybersecurity specialist at Entergy, championing digital literacy and economic empowerment.
“Teressa was a powerhouse,”
said Casey Phillips, founder of The Walls Project.
“She didn’t just teach code. She taught resilience, she taught vision. Losing her is like losing a lighthouse in a storm.”
Her programs helped teens learn web development, cybersecurity, and data analytics skills that opened doors far beyond Baton Rouge. For many, Calligan’s coding labs weren’t just lessons they were lifelines.
Calligan’s death is emblematic of Baton Rouge’s wider struggle with gang violence. Police say Catherine, a member of the Bleedas gang, had been involved in escalating criminal activity in the months leading up to the shooting.
In January 2025, Catherine was arrested for drug and firearm possession. Just four months later, in May, he was again taken into custody this time for brandishing a firearm at Monroe’s Pecanland Mall. He faced multiple charges including aggravated assault, rioting, and illegal weapons possession.
Despite these charges, Catherine managed to stay active in public life most controversially during a March visit to Park Forest Middle School. There, he donated items and filmed a music video with students. The video, which showed children mimicking gun gestures, sparked outrage across the state.
“It was unacceptable,”
said Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who criticized the school district for allowing the visit.
“We should be safeguarding our students, not exposing them to glorified gang culture.”
Following his June arrest, Catherine was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. He is currently being held without bond. His attorney, Ryan Thompson, has requested bond hearings for July 17, with a motion hearing set for August 12.
Police have maintained that Calligan was not the intended target.
“She was an innocent bystander caught in the wrong place at the wrong time,”
BRPD spokesperson Darren Ahmed stated.
Calligan’s death and Catherine’s controversial school appearance have reignited debates around youth exposure to violence and the role of schools in protecting students. Parents and community leaders are calling for stricter visitor policies and more robust after-school programming programs like the very ones Calligan once led.
“There’s a deep sense of loss, but also urgency,”
Phillips said.
“We must protect what Teressa built.”
As Baton Rouge reels from the senseless loss of a woman who gave so much, many are asking not just for justice, but for change. The intersection where Calligan died may one day be just another part of the city’s infrastructure but for those who knew her, it will always be sacred ground.
