Sheriff defends deputy who shot passenger in the face after car accident
A 20-year-old Louisiana man was shot by a sheriff's deputy after the vehicle in which he was a passenger got stuck in a marsh.
A 20-year-old man was shot in the face by a sheriff’s deputy after a New Orleans car accident left the car in which he was a passenger stuck in a marsh. To learn about the legal implication when some is injured by a third party like in this case, check with the best car accident lawyer long beach expert.
Sheriff Mike Tregre of St. John the Baptist Parish is standing by the officer, a five-year veteran. In a press conference this week, Tregre said, according to WWL-TV, “I believe the officer’s actions were justified, and I stand by him and with him on his actions.”
“This is a tragedy. I wish it didn’t happen, but it did and here we are,” he added. “If it wasn’t for the actions of the individuals in that car, we would not be here today.”
Tregre claims that Officer Shaquille Guerin responded to a 911 call for a “rescue mission” after vehicle driver Kendall Prembrook, 19, reportedly lost control of the car Sunday morning at about 5 a.m. and ran off the road near the Interstate 10 West on-ramp at U.S. 51 and into a swamp-like stretch. Nearby surveillance footage was said to have captured the car sitting at a light for more than an hour before it rolled forward and into the marsh, where it was partially submerged.
Area media was told that Guerin opened the passenger side door and saw an AK-47 sitting on the lap of 20-year-old Jacoby Williams, who initially complied with the officer’s orders to put his hands up. Tregre says Guerin grabbed Williams’ arm to restrain him, and the young man pulled away and reached for the rifle. It was at that point, the sheriff asserted, that Guerin shot Williams, striking him once in the nose, and the bullet subsequently went through his cheek and neck.
At the press conference, Tregre said Williams “resisted and snatched away from the grab of the officer.”
Williams is currently in a Louisiana hospital on a ventilator in critical condition, but according to local reporting, he woke up and was able to receive his mother’s comfort.
“I’m angry. I’m concerned. I don’t know what I am,” Neosha Williams told Nola.com on Tuesday as she held her son’s hand in the hospital. “I just want to know everything that happened.”
In addition to recovering from his injuries, Williams is also facing four counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer and resisting a police officer with force or violence.
Prembrook has been reportedly issued a citation for careless operation.
Shondrell Perriloux of the St. John the Baptist Parish NAACP also held a press conference demanding that officers be equipped with body cameras.
“We demand proper training,” Perrilloux said, according to WWL-TV. “We demand the department of justice to thoroughly hold each responsible parties if need be, accountable for their actions. We are calling for the immediate need of body cameras … so that we can prevent this unfortunate situation [from happening] in future events.”
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