Northwestern State football player shot and killed near campus, coach calls it ‘a tremendous loss’

NATCHITOCHES, La. (AP) — A Northwestern State University football player has been shot and killed near an apartment complex not far from campus in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Police found 21-year-old Ronald Caldwell with multiple gunshot wounds at around 1 a.m. on Thursday. No arrests have been made. A junior from Austin, Texas, he played safety and he appeared in all 11 games last year, starting in 10. A preseason injury kept him on the sidelines this fall, where he served as a de facto defensive assistant coach. Head coach Brad Laird says Caldwell’s death is a tremendous loss, adding: “He was our voice in the locker room. When Ronnie spoke, others listened.”