Louisiana Officer Charged In SUV Shooting KIlling 6 YO Boy

This one has an interesting twist, which explains the rapid charging of the officers involved…

2 Louisiana Officers Charged With Second-Degree Murder in Killing of Boy, 6

The young victim – Jeremy Mardis

Two police officers have been arrested on charges of second-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of a 6-year-old boy during a pursuit of his father in a sport utility vehicle in central Louisiana, the state police said Friday.

The officers, Norris Greenhouse Jr. and Lt. Derrick Stafford, who were placed on administrative leave after the chase on Tuesday, also face charges of attempted second-degree murder, Col. Michael Edmonson, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, said during a news conference on Friday.

The father, Chris Few, who was driving, was critically injured in the shooting. Mr. Few’s son, Jeremy Mardis, was killed after the police opened fire on the S.U.V.

The coroner said the boy was struck several times in the head and chest. An autopsy was performed on Wednesday, but a final report was not expected to be ready for eight weeks.

“He didn’t deserve to die like that and that’s what’s important,” Colonel Edmonson said Friday. “That little boy was buckled in the front seat of that vehicle and that was how he died.”

Colonel Edmonson said that over the past 72 hours, investigators had studied footage from body cameras, interviewed witnesses and listened to 911 recordings. He promised a “methodical and detail oriented investigation.”

He declined to say why the police began pursuing Mr. Few’s vehicle, or what caused them to open fire.

Describing the body camera footage, Colonel Edmonson said, “I can tell you as a father it was one of the most disturbing things I have witnessed.”

Two other police officers were involved in the chase, in addition to Officer Greenhouse and Lieutenant Stafford, the superintendent said, but he declined to say whether either of the other officers was suspected of wrongdoing.

He said investigators would follow the case “wherever this takes us” and that the state police had seized guns from all officers present during the shooting.

All four are officers with the Marksville, La., police who work part time as city marshals.

Norris Greenhouse Jr., left, and Lt. Derrick Stafford.

So THAT’s what it takes to see justice when a policeman wrongly kills a citizen.