LAFAYETTE, LA — “Y’all don’t stop praying for Matt. Please, we are begging. Matt can have a miracle,” pleaded Nichole Carter.
Her younger brother, Matthew Carter (17) is fighting for his life after being shot early Saturday morning, but his classmates, friends, and family know him for much more.
“If you can’t remember a name remember a number,” urged Comeaux High School Assistant Football Coach Jack Franks II as he asked everyone to pray.
Number 31 was a star athlete for Comeaux High School Spartan Football, but his biggest plays were off the field.
“If anyone knew Matt, you knew his smile and you probably got a hug,” recalled one woman.
“He brings laughter, humor,” said Darlene Scott, Carter’s former teacher. “He’s just a well-rounded young man. Loves everybody. Smart, smart as a whip.”
Carter’s sister, Nicole, said Matt was going to be a doctor of radiology in college, remembering he often stressed over his grades but put others before himself.
“Anytime I needed a ride he was there,” recalled Carte’s friend Dillon Hollier. “If I needed someone to talk to, he kept my head up higher than anyone else ever could. He was a true friend.”
Carter’s family said he was shot in his car after someone tried to steal it. He was left for dead for hours before police found Carter and rushed him to the hospital.
“It’s gutwrenching what we’re going through, but it’s heartwarming to see how many people he’s truly affected,” commented Nichole Carter.
While Carter’s parents watched from above through the hospital window near his medical room, Nichole Carter organized a blood drive through Our Lady of Lourdes which anyone can donate blood in Matthew Carter’s name to relieve their medical bills.
“Fight for him,” asked one of Carter’s best friends, Tanner Castille. “Fight the fight he can’t fight right now. Fight it for him.”
Nichole Carte said her brother sustained catastrophic injuries from the shooting. Two juveniles, ages 13 and 14, have been arrested in connection with the armed robbery and shooting. Charges include attempted first-degree murder, one count of armed robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
