Northwestern State Football's Ronnie Caldwell Dies at 21 After Shooting

Northwestern State football player Ronnie Caldwell died Thursday at the age of 21 due to multiple gunshot wounds, according to ESPN.com.

Brittney Hazelton of KSLA reported police in Natchitoches, Louisiana, received a report of gunshots at the 3800 block of University Parkway at around 1:08 a.m. ET. Officers found Caldwell at the scene, and he was pronounced dead by the Natchitoches Parish Coroner's Office.

"The Northwestern State family has suffered a tremendous loss," head coach Brad Laird said. "Ronnie Caldwell was a young man who had a bright future ahead of him on or off the football field. He was our voice in the locker room. When Ronnie spoke, others listened. The respect our football team had for Ronnie was evident. He did not play a snap this year because of an injury, but his voice resonated with every member of our team from the first player to the 115th on our roster."

The school canceled Saturday's game against Nicholls in the wake of Caldwell's death.

The junior safety transferred to Northwestern State after playing two years at Tyler Junior College. He appeared in all 11 of the Demons' games in 2022, finishing with 42 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss.

The school said Caldwell was "a de facto defensive assistant coach" this season while out injured.

With Saturday's cancellation, Northwestern State is now set to resume action Oct. 21 against Southeastern Louisiana. However, the school said that "decisions regarding Northwestern State's remaining football games will be made as the season progresses."