Current:Home > BackLouisiana jury convicts 1 ex-officer and acquits another in 2022 shooting death-LoTradeCoin
Louisiana jury convicts 1 ex-officer and acquits another in 2022 shooting death
View Date:2024-12-23 20:01:48
GRETNA, La. (AP) — A Louisiana jury has convicted one former law enforcement officer and acquitted another in the 2022 shooting death of a man who was sitting in an SUV outside a house reputed for illegal drug activity.
Issac Hughes, who was convicted Friday, and Johnathan Louis, who was acquitted, were Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies when Daniel Vallee, 34, was killed in the New Orleans suburb of Marrero.
Police body camera footage showed that after a 15-minute confrontation, Vallee’s last words to officers were, “Please, put the guns down.”
Hughes and Louis were each indicted on a manslaughter charge with a possible 40-year sentence. Hughes faces up to five years in prison after jurors convicted him on the lesser charge of negligent homicide.
The two were among five deputies responding to a noise complaint in the early hours of Feb. 16, 2022. Sheriff Joe Lopinto said Vallee was in a vehicle outside a suspected drug house and refused to get out when instructed by the deputies, WVUE-TV reported.
Defense attorneys said Hughes and Louis acted in self-defense because Vallee dropped his hands out of sight multiple times, even as officers commanded him to keep them visible. Attorneys said the two officers believed Vallee might “weaponize” his vehicle.
Prosecutors said deputies had opportunities to de-escalate. They said another deputy never fired his weapon but kept it at a “low ready” position, indicating other officers did not perceive an imminent threat.
“The punishment for non-compliance with a law enforcement officer is not death,” Assistant District Attorney Rachel Africk said.
Vallee restarted the SUV’s engine 45 seconds before he was shot, and four deputies drew their weapons, according to The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. One deputy, who was not charged, yelled at Vallee to turn off the car, and Vallee shouted, “I’m scared. Y’all trying to kill me.”
Vallee dropped his right hand and honked the SUV’s horn and then Hughes, who was standing in front of the vehicle, opened fire and shot all 18 rounds from his gun toward the windshield, according to testimony. Louis was standing at the passenger window and fired nine rounds just after Hughes started shooting.
Vallee was shot eight times and pronounced dead at the scene.
Neither Hughes nor Louis testified during their four-day trial in Gretna. Jefferson Parish sheriff’s officers began using body cameras in December 2021, and Vallee’s death was the first shooting by deputies after that policy was put in place.
veryGood! (366)
Related
- Arbitrator upholds 5-year bans of Bad Bunny baseball agency leaders, cuts agent penalty to 3 years
- Gretchen Walsh, a senior at Virginia, sets world record at Olympic trials
- Why Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag Say 6-Year-Old Son Gunner Is Ready for His YouTube Career
- Charles Barkley says he will retire from television after 2024-25 NBA season
- Quincy Jones' cause of death revealed: Reports
- WWE Clash at the Castle 2024 results: CM Punk costs Drew McIntyre; winners, highlights
- Kansas lawmakers poised to lure Kansas City Chiefs from Missouri, despite economists’ concerns
- Will the Lightning Bug Show Go On?
- Opinion: NFL began season with no Black offensive coordinators, first time since the 1980s
- Firefighter killed in explosion while battling front end loader fire in Southern California
Ranking
- Rōki Sasaki is coming to MLB: Dodgers the favorite to sign Japanese ace for cheap?
- In-N-Out raises California prices of Double-Double after minimum wage law
- Firefighter killed in explosion while battling front end loader fire in Southern California
- Victim identified in Southern California homicide case, 41 years after her remains were found
- Golden Bachelorette: Joan Vassos Gets Engaged During Season Finale
- Italy concedes goal after 23 seconds but recovers to beat Albania 2-1 at Euro 2024
- Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is perfect man as conference pursues selling naming rights
- Can the Greater Sage-Grouse Be Kept Off the Endangered Species List?
Recommendation
-
Amazon Prime Video to stream Diamond Sports' regional networks
-
Does chlorine damage hair? Here’s how to protect your hair this swim season.
-
Italy concedes goal after 23 seconds but recovers to beat Albania 2-1 at Euro 2024
-
Kansas lawmakers poised to lure Kansas City Chiefs from Missouri, despite economists’ concerns
-
Hill House Home’s Once-A-Year Sale Is Here: Get 30% off Everything & up to 75% off Luxury Dresses
-
Can the Greater Sage-Grouse Be Kept Off the Endangered Species List?
-
Photos offer a glimpse of Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee
-
Pope Francis is first pope to address G7 summit, meets with Biden, world leaders