A family has retained the services of civil rights attorney Ben Crump in the wake of a deputy in central Louisiana fatally shooting an unarmed Black man after pulling him over for a window tint violation.
According to HuffPost, the shooting death of Derrick Kittling, 45, by Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Rodney Anderson during a traffic stop on Nov. 6 generated uproar in Alexandria, a community with a large Black population.
The officer’s body camera footage and bystander video were aired during a press conference Sunday. A struggle between Anderson and Kittling begins about four minutes and 30 seconds into the incident.
In the bodycam video, Kittling, who appears confused during the interaction, exits his Chevrolet Silverado pickup. The deputy tells him to “stay right there,” but also directs him to walk toward his truck as he stands next to it after stepping out of the driver’s seat.
Anderson never explains why Kittling is being stopped and fails to respond when Kittling asks him directly.
Anderson commands Kittling to “walk over here.” As Kittling is standing near the truck’s door, the deputy, still in his cruiser, says, “Walk to your truck.”
Anderson cautions Kittling to keep his hands out of his pockets as he exits his police vehicle. Kittling follows instructions and walks to the back of the pickup truck before Anderson grabs his left arm.
Anderson repeatedly instructs Kittling to place his hands behind his back, accusing him of not following orders. Kittling asks if he can get his phone; the deputy replies, “We will get to that,” and stops him.
“What I did? What is wrong with you? [Why] are you grabbing on me, man? Why are you grabbing on me, bruh?” Kittling asks, according to HuffPost.
Anderson repeatedly demands that Kittling put his hands behind his back, but a still-bewildered Kittling wonders aloud, “For what?”
Then, in the struggle that ensued, the sheriff’s office claimed that Anderson “lost control” of his taser, and Kittling picked it up while it was on the ground.
The deputy can be seen in the footage grabbing the stun gun and shooting at Kittling, who attempts to block the taser before the two men wrestled on the ground. Kittling then appears to pick up the taser, but it’s not clear whether he pointed toward Anderson, according to HuffPost.
Various perspectives show the officer fighting Kittling. After roughly a minute, the deputy opens fire.
“Shots fired, shots fired,” Anderson says.
He is visible in the video footage holding the gun and gazing at Kittling while he is lying on the ground. Anderson then calls other officers to inform them of the incident.
There have been protests throughout Alexandria since Kittling’s deadly shooting, which occurred during daylight hours in a residential neighborhood.
“That sheriff’s department under the current Sheriff Mark Woods has a plethora of problems when it deals with African Americans,” organizer and protester Rev. Randy Harris told HuffPost. “It’s tragic with what happened to Derrick, but unfortunately it is more than likely to happen again. I have zero faith in the sheriff’s department.”
During the press conference Sunday, Louisiana State Police Commissioner Col. Lamar Davis informed the local media that Anderson stopped Kittling for having a window tint violation and a modified exhaust.
Davis added that authorities had not determined if Anderson tased Kittling. He also would not confirm whether the taser ever hit Anderson.
Louisiana State Police declined to say if Anderson even violated department policy.
“We are also gathering that information with regards to their protocols, their policies, their training and so forth,” Davis said, according to HuffPost. “And we will be able to better determine that information once we receive that.”
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