A grand jury decided not to indict police officers involved in the shooting death of Trayford Pellerin, a Black Louisiana man, who was walking away from police with a knife when they shot him 11 times. The jury was instructed to only consider the charge of second degree murder and no lesser charges, according to the Daily Advertiser. Lafayette Parish District Attorney Don Landry said during a news conference on Tuesday that before shooting Pellerin, officers gave 39 orders to him,10 of them to drop a knife police said he was holding, and Pellerin did not comply. "Trayford Pellerin could have dropped the knife, and he would have lived," Landry said.
Ron Haley, an attorney for Pellerin’s family, said that is no certainty. “And we've seen in this country that even when people do comply with police they still end up dead," he said at a separate news conference. The attorney told reporters videos Landry showed of Pellerin during the press conference depicted "a person having a mental health issue." Haley and his clients are pushing for greater transparency in the investigation of Pellerin’s death.
"There are places in this country that we are wanting accountability," Haley said. "In Louisiana, we are so far behind that we just want the transparency part." The attorney said his clients had to wait nine months before body-camera footage of Pellerin’s death was publicly released.
Rebecca Kavanagh, a criminal defense attorney unassociated with the case, said in a Twitter thread that grand jury proceedings are always secret, but the district attorney in this case "has shown an extraordinary lack of transparency." She cited as an example the fact that the names of the involved police officers have not been released in the incident.
“It's been devastating for the Pellerin family,” Kavanagh tweeted. “They are pushing for federal criminal charges and are also suing the city. They say they will not settle until the DA turns over all the evidence about Trayford's killing to them.”
Both Haley and Kavanagh brought attention to the lack of media coverage of Pellerin’s case when compared to that of Jacob Blake, who was partially paralyzed when a police officer in Kenosha, Washington, shot him repeatedly at point-blank range on Aug. 23, 2020, after commanding Blake to drop a knife later found on the driver’s side of Blake’s car.
"I have never been able to work out why some police shooting cases get a lot of media traction and others, like Mr. Pellerin's, are more of a blip on the news cycle," Kavanagh said. "I don't know if there's only room for one Black police shooting victim in the wider public consciousness at the same time--so once Jacob Blake was shot, it was time to move on. Of course some never get reported at all."
“I do know Louisiana leads the nation in lack of transparency when it comes to police shootings and that families like the Pellerin family deserve so much better,” the attorney added.
Warning: This video contains disturbing footage of a police shooting that may be triggering for some viewers.
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Pellerin, who a toxicology report revealed had methamphetamine and THC in his bloodstream when he was killed on Aug. 21, 2020, was shown on surveillance video leaving a convenience store with a knife before ultimately being shot outside of a gas station. Both a clerk and an unidentified woman called 911 on Pellerin to report he was leaving with a knife after having earlier been spotted “hollering and throwing things,” KATC News reported. The 911 caller did, however, report that she saw Pellerin put the knife in his satchel.
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When officers arrived, they reported that Pellerin had the knife in his hand and they ordered him to drop it. When he didn't and continued approaching the gas station’s entrance, officers fired at Pellerin, hitting him 11 times in 2.4 seconds, Landry said.
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He called Pellerin's death "a tragedy for all those who loved him" and a "tragedy for our community" before repeatedly complimenting the officers who killed him. The district attorney said officers were trained in "the best methods and technique" and that there were seven times officers had legitimate reasons to use deadly force. He said at two points, officers tried to use Tasers on Pellerin but neither prong affected him, one of which may’ve landed on Pellerin’s satchel. "The officers in this case responded to a dangerous situation," Landry said. "I think it is very clear that the officers in this matter have been severely impacted by the event (that) took place."
Try being the family of the man killed. "I'm tired of the excuse of failure to comply as a reason to kill Black people in this country," Haley said. “Failure to comply is a misdemeanor not a death sentence.”
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His co-counsel Chase Trichell told the Daily Advertiser last October the federal lawsuit will answer "many questions (that) have not been answered." "This lawsuit will enable the family, the attorneys, the community, the protestors, everybody here in Lafayette and around the country to get answers to questions that the family rightfully deserves," Trichell said. "We’re going to begin the discovery process, we’re going to take depositions, we’re going to issue subpoenas. We’re not going to stop until our clients have been satisfied and finally get answers."
A stay has been ordered in the federal suit to halt proceedings, so the next step is to seek removal of the stay and contact the Department of Justice to determine whether Pellerin’s civil rights were violated, KLFY local news reported.
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RELATED: Louisiana police fired 11 times, killing Black man as he walked away
Ron Haley, an attorney for Pellerin’s family, said that is no certainty. “And we've seen in this country that even when people do comply with police they still end up dead," he said at a separate news conference. The attorney told reporters videos Landry showed of Pellerin during the press conference depicted "a person having a mental health issue." Haley and his clients are pushing for greater transparency in the investigation of Pellerin’s death.
"There are places in this country that we are wanting accountability," Haley said. "In Louisiana, we are so far behind that we just want the transparency part." The attorney said his clients had to wait nine months before body-camera footage of Pellerin’s death was publicly released.
Rebecca Kavanagh, a criminal defense attorney unassociated with the case, said in a Twitter thread that grand jury proceedings are always secret, but the district attorney in this case "has shown an extraordinary lack of transparency." She cited as an example the fact that the names of the involved police officers have not been released in the incident.
“It's been devastating for the Pellerin family,” Kavanagh tweeted. “They are pushing for federal criminal charges and are also suing the city. They say they will not settle until the DA turns over all the evidence about Trayford's killing to them.”
Both Haley and Kavanagh brought attention to the lack of media coverage of Pellerin’s case when compared to that of Jacob Blake, who was partially paralyzed when a police officer in Kenosha, Washington, shot him repeatedly at point-blank range on Aug. 23, 2020, after commanding Blake to drop a knife later found on the driver’s side of Blake’s car.
"I have never been able to work out why some police shooting cases get a lot of media traction and others, like Mr. Pellerin's, are more of a blip on the news cycle," Kavanagh said. "I don't know if there's only room for one Black police shooting victim in the wider public consciousness at the same time--so once Jacob Blake was shot, it was time to move on. Of course some never get reported at all."
“I do know Louisiana leads the nation in lack of transparency when it comes to police shootings and that families like the Pellerin family deserve so much better,” the attorney added.
Warning: This video contains disturbing footage of a police shooting that may be triggering for some viewers.
YouTube Video
Pellerin, who a toxicology report revealed had methamphetamine and THC in his bloodstream when he was killed on Aug. 21, 2020, was shown on surveillance video leaving a convenience store with a knife before ultimately being shot outside of a gas station. Both a clerk and an unidentified woman called 911 on Pellerin to report he was leaving with a knife after having earlier been spotted “hollering and throwing things,” KATC News reported. The 911 caller did, however, report that she saw Pellerin put the knife in his satchel.
YouTube Video
When officers arrived, they reported that Pellerin had the knife in his hand and they ordered him to drop it. When he didn't and continued approaching the gas station’s entrance, officers fired at Pellerin, hitting him 11 times in 2.4 seconds, Landry said.
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He called Pellerin's death "a tragedy for all those who loved him" and a "tragedy for our community" before repeatedly complimenting the officers who killed him. The district attorney said officers were trained in "the best methods and technique" and that there were seven times officers had legitimate reasons to use deadly force. He said at two points, officers tried to use Tasers on Pellerin but neither prong affected him, one of which may’ve landed on Pellerin’s satchel. "The officers in this case responded to a dangerous situation," Landry said. "I think it is very clear that the officers in this matter have been severely impacted by the event (that) took place."
Try being the family of the man killed. "I'm tired of the excuse of failure to comply as a reason to kill Black people in this country," Haley said. “Failure to comply is a misdemeanor not a death sentence.”
YouTube Video
His co-counsel Chase Trichell told the Daily Advertiser last October the federal lawsuit will answer "many questions (that) have not been answered." "This lawsuit will enable the family, the attorneys, the community, the protestors, everybody here in Lafayette and around the country to get answers to questions that the family rightfully deserves," Trichell said. "We’re going to begin the discovery process, we’re going to take depositions, we’re going to issue subpoenas. We’re not going to stop until our clients have been satisfied and finally get answers."
A stay has been ordered in the federal suit to halt proceedings, so the next step is to seek removal of the stay and contact the Department of Justice to determine whether Pellerin’s civil rights were violated, KLFY local news reported.
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RELATED: Louisiana police fired 11 times, killing Black man as he walked away