A cherished chef from New Orleans lost his life tragically when he was shot while waiting to collect his two-year-old child from daycare by a carjacker, who subsequently abandoned his body and fled in his vehicle.

Carl Morgan, a sous chef working at the renowned Brennan’s restaurant located in the French Quarter, was attacked outside the Abeona House Child Discovery Center in Mid-City on Tuesday evening.

The alleged perpetrator, 21-year-old Raymond Wells, was later discovered on Interstate 10 in Metairie, where police found him inside Morgan’s car, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.

According to Deputy Chief Nicholas Gernon at a news briefing reported by Fox 8, ‘Mr. Wells is currently in critical condition at University Hospital. Overnight, our detectives secured an arrest warrant for a charge of first-degree murder.’

The New York Post reported that authorities said Wells had been cruising the vicinity earlier, shooting at vehicles and attempting several carjackings before fatally shooting Morgan.

Witnesses recalled a chaotic scene outside the daycare as shots rang out.

‘I just saw a guy walking right there – he just started unloading his gun,’ local resident Luke Gower told WDSU. 

‘I doubt he knew the victim. He simply targeted the car and began firing at it. His weapon jammed, as per the homeowner’s account. I was next in line, so I consider myself fortunate.’

The shooting sent daycare teachers scrambling to protect children.

‘What happened was one of the teachers heard the gunfire on Bienville and said ‘let’s get inside,’ and they immediately moved all the children inside,’ Pastor Shawn Anglim of First Grace United Methodist Church told Fox 8.

Morgan’s death has devastated his loved ones, who described him as a devoted father and a talented chef whose life revolved around his child.

‘What was most important was his son and how much of a dad he was,’ Brennan’s General Manager Christian Pendleton told Fox 8. 

‘He was the biggest teddy bear. He was just the happiest dad – so tickled to be a dad. He loved moments with his son. He was a huge Raiders fan.’

Morgan’s partner and the mother of his child, Lisa Marie Lienberger, told WDSU: ‘I just want people to remember Carl for how much he cared about everyone he interacted with. He was a very loving person. 

‘A jolly, talkative, very funny, and silly person. Most of all, he loved food, and that was what we really bonded over. 

‘I hope that he will be remembered for all of the skills he passed on to other people he worked with in the city. We love him very much, and I will do my best to make sure he’s remembered in everything we do. I wish he was here.’

Pendleton said Brennan’s will honor Morgan at this weekend’s Fried Chicken Festival, where he had been preparing to lead the restaurant’s offerings.

‘When he made his fried chicken sandwich, people looked forward to it. We’ll do that for him,’ Pendleton told WDSU.

‘A man lost his life. A child lost his father. A partner lost her love of her life, and we all lost a vibrant light in the city of New Orleans,’ Anglim told Fox 8.