Joe McKnight shooting: Sheriff denies reports from alleged eyewitnesses

Will this be the next racial flashpoint? Even though the police weren't involved? Should they have released the suspect?

http://www.aol.com/article/news/201...f-denies-reports-from-alleged-eyewi/21619497/

Joe McKnight shooting: Sheriff denies reports from alleged eyewitnesses
The Wrap
BEATRICE VERHOEVEN
Dec 2nd 2016 3:36PM
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand denied three alleged eye-witness accounts of Joe McKnight's shooting during a press conference on Friday, including a statement that McKnight issued an apology to shooting suspect Ronald Gasser.

"Mr. Gasser did not stand over Mr. McKnight and fire shots into him," he said. "The three casings were located in the vehicle. Mr. Gasser was in his vehicle when he fired three shots.
"There is no video that we've been able to recover at this point in time," he added. "We have no eyewitness account of an apology from Mr. McKnight to Mr. Gasser."

Also Read: Ex-NFL Player Joe McKnight Fatally Shot in New Orleans

On Thursday, former NFL player McKnight was shot and killed in Louisiana in what authorities are calling a road rage incident. Glasser was identified as the suspect in the shooting. However, he was released from custody overnight without being charged, Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman Col. John Fortunato told ABC News. He said there was no reason to continue holding Gasser.

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The Times-Picayune reported that a witness observed McKnight arguing with another man at an intersection in Terrytown. She said McKnight was trying to apologize when the man drew a gun and shot McKnight multiple times.

The shooter then allegedly stood over McKnight and said, "I told you, don't you f– with me" before firing again.

Also Read:Joe McKnight Shooting: White Suspect's Release Sparks Outrage on Social Media

According to ABC News, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said at a press conference Thursday night that Gasser stayed at the scene of the shooting and "relinquished his weapon to our officers" when he was taken into custody.

After his release, various people on social media were outraged, asking how Gasser could've been released if he admitted to the crime and handed over his weapon to officers.

"In this state, there are some relative statutes that provide defenses to certain crimes. Officers have those same defenses," he told news outlets. "So when we shoot and kill somebody — it's a homicide — the question is, is it justified?"

In response to comments on social media, he said, "I've been already accused of dropping the ball and not doing this or doing that because we released Mr. Gasser last evening after we took his statement. As I said before: External influences will not motivate this office, one way or the other, as to how we are going to conduct this investigation strategically. And because there are witnesses that are out there, I can not go into this at this point in time."

He added, "Everyone wants to make this about race. This isn't about race. And I'll just throw this out, folks... the gentleman that raised Joe McKnight Jr. used to work for this office. So this office and many of the officers that are sitting over here, they close to his family."

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On Thursday night, Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman Col. John Fortunato added that a grand jury or the district attorney will decide whether or not charges should be filed against Gasser.

"People can Monday morning quarterback what we've done — Mr. Gasser is not going anywhere, he has been completely cooperative with us," added Normand.

Read original story Joe McKnight Shooting: Sheriff Denies Reports From Alleged Eyewitnesses At TheWrap

 

Three shell casing found inside car indicating that Gasser was inside the vehicle and that the witness statements were false.

Autopsy on McKnight show three wounds, one through McKnight's hand, hmmmm.

 

Since McKnight doesnt seem to have been armed whats the guys excuse for shooting him ?

 

It appears he was trying to assault him through the window.

 

Here's more:

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/suspect-f...-mcknight-162051497--abc-news-topstories.html

Good Morning America
No Indication of Hate Crime in Fatal Road Rage Shooting of Ex-NFL Player Joe McKnight
EMILY SHAPIRO,Good Morning America 6 hours ago Comments Sign in to like Reblog on Tumblr Share Tweet Email
Fantasy Forecast: Week 13

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The shooting that killed former NFL player Joe McKnight in Louisiana on Thursday is considered a road rage incident, not a hate crime, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said.

Ronald Gasser, who allegedly admitted to fatally shooting McKnight, is cooperating with the ongoing investigation, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said this afternoon. Authorities released Gasser, 54, after questioning him overnight. There was no reason to continue holding Gasser, the sheriff's office said.

The shooting happened Thursday afternoon near an intersection in Terrytown, which is about 5 miles south of New Orleans across the Mississippi River. When police arrived, they found 28-year-old McKnight suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he died at the scene, the sheriff's office said. The sheriff's office said McKnight was not armed and there was no gun near his body.

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Gasser stayed at the scene after the shooting, and was then taken into custody, the sheriff's office said. He "relinquished his weapon to our officers," Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said Thursday.

"We are interviewing a number of witnesses as well as Mr. Gasser," Normand said.

The NAACP in New Orleans today claimed the football player, who is black, was lynched. Gasser is white.

The NAACP called on Kenneth Polite, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, to get involved, and urged witnesses to the shooting to come forward to the local FBI Civil Rights Division.

"We are demanding answers," NAACP New Orleans President Morris Reed said today.

Normand said at a news conference this afternoon that "this isn't about race."

Normand revealed more details about the shooting, which he described as a road rage incident. Gasser was inside his car when he fired three shots at McKnight; three casings were located in Gasser's vehicle, he said.

“We have no witness account of an apology being made by Mr. McKnight to Mr. Gasser," Normand added.

Normand stressed today that the investigation is ongoing and said "external influences will not motivate this office .. as to how we are going to conduct this investigation."

A grand jury or the district attorney will decide whether or not charges should be filed against Gasser, a sheriff's office official told ABC News this morning.

Normand said many people in his office are close to the McKnight family.

A spokesperson for the McKnight family said in a statement that "the family is distressed, distraught. This tragedy is something that changes all of our lives so dramatically. We are in the process of trying to deal with the grief and what we need go through legally. We want to give Joe his just due."

And in an interview with ABC affiliate WGNO, McKnight's brother Jonathan McKnight said, "My brother would never lay a hand on nobody. Even when he was going through problems, he would never hurt nobody."

Asked about his reaction to his brother's death, McKnight told WGNO, "I didn’t believe it ... Joe ... was getting everything together. It just happened out of nowhere. That’s why it hurts so bad for us."

He added, "My family was never brought up in the streets, we was always doing the right thing. My family put us on the right path. It’s going to be hard for a long time, just not seeing his face. We never lived that kind of life."

McKnight went to high school in Louisiana before he headed west for college in 2006, where he became a football star at the University of Southern California.

After USC, McKnight played for the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs.

This season, he played in the Canadian Football League, according to The Associated Press.

McKnight's death marks the second time an NFL player was shot and killed in a motorist incident in New Orleans this year. In April, former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith was fatally shot while driving in New Orleans's Lower Garden District.

ABC News' Shahriar Rahmanzadeh, Jason Volack and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

 

Justified or not. It would be nice if for once race was left out of it until proven a factor. But that's not the lefts style.

 

The NAACP urged witnesses to come forward so long as they blame the white guy.

 

This thread is taking off with the usual racist babble.

 

Quit posting then, for Christ's sake!

 

Ding Ding Ding, ladies and gentlemen we have a winner.

 

That would be the NAACP doing that.

 

Uh the NAACP is not on this thread.

 

Just like all the others .... Wait to make a judgement until all the facts are known.

 

What did you win?

 

Not even close to being true. You just can't help but project.

 

Looks like another racial hoax.

 

How so?

A shooting happened, a liar gave a false report of the events, and without any evidence or corroboration the NAACP starts tossing around words like "lynched".

We just went through a saga where lies about a shooting resulted in riots.

Do you think there are people out there who want to reproduce that outcome?

I think there are and I think the NAACP is party to it.

 

Message #5

 

Yes, yes it is. And it's in an article from yahoo. Like the man said, post 5. Here's where it starts:

The NAACP in New Orleans today claimed the football player, who is black, was lynched. Gasser is white

 

I am confused...I watched GMA and the first 2 stories were this shooting and the South Carolina officer charged with shooting a black man in the back. So GMA went on and on about the white man shooting the black man outside his car. It was "white man this and black man that". Then they were on to the trial in South Carolina and it was "white officer this and the lone holdout white juror that" then went onto to describe the racial makeup of the jury...

The very next story shows a video outside a man's home where a armed robber dresses in a UPS drivers outfit and waits for the homeowner to come to the door then he raises his gun and barges into the house where the gun is discharged. Then you see 4 more guys with guns in hand rush in to rob the house and beat the homeowner.

So what's the difference between the two stories mentioned in the first paragraph and the second? In the second paragraph they didn't mention not once...not once...that the robbers were black and the homeowner who was robbed and beaten was white.

Just amazing that everything the media pushes when a black is harmed by a white it's because the white person is a racist. They don't out and out state this but they imply it with the way they describe the stories.

 

McK was an NFL football player so be must have been pretty big and he may have been aggressive toward the man sitting in his vehicle. You don't have to let someone put their hands on you through the window of you vehicle.

As for the witness that heard someone apologize; it may have been Gasser that was trying to apologize for whatever make McK get out of his vehicle and approach Gasser???

 

In Louisiana you can use deadly force if you believe someone is attempting to attack you and hijack your car. It got so bad back in the 1980's with the car not only being hijacked the innocent drivers being murdered in the process. The ACLU and other anti-gun groups were all up in arms about and very shortly a criminal was shot and killed and they REALLY got mad and were going with the "see we told you someone would get killed".

The hijackings stopped.

 

Here's more:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...nslaughter-charge_us_5846e182e4b0fe5ab692fd77

Louisiana Sheriff Uses Joe McKnight Press Conference To Attack Critics
Sheriff Newell Normand was there to announce manslaughter charges against the accused shooter.
12/06/2016 12:49 pm ET | Updated 9 hours ago
370
Travis Waldron
Sports Reporter, The Huffington Post

JIM MCISAAC VIA GETTY IMAGES
The man who police say shot and killed former New York Jets running back Joe McKnight last week has been arrested on manslaughter charges, the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, sheriff’s office confirmed during a bizarre and contentious Tuesday news conference.

Ronald Gasser was originally detained after the sheriff’s office said he shot McKnight during an apparent road rage incident outside New Orleans last Thursday. McKnight died at the scene and Gasser was released from custody later that day.

Jail records obtained by multiple news outlets Tuesday morning, however, showed that Gasser had been arrested and booked on a single count of manslaughter.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand confirmed the charges at the news conference. But he then spent much of the appearance attempting ― at times angrily ― to justify the decision to release Gasser on Thursday, saying that the sheriff’s office operated out of “an abundance of caution” and out of an “obligation to make sure we get it right.”

At the time of Gasser’s release, he said, investigators had only Gasser’s statement, and had not yet spoken to key witnesses who could corroborate or contradict the accused shooter’s account.

“Our arrest is only as good as a prosecution,” Normand said. “We accomplish nothing if we make an arrest and we can’t put ourselves in the best posture ... to reach a successful prosecution.”

A manslaughter, rather than murder, charge “best fit the evidence that we have at this time,” Normand said, adding that further evidence could lead to a change in the charges later in the investigation.

Members of the community strongly criticized the sheriff’s department, particularly as it appeared to be yet another case in which a white suspect could be absolved in the killing of an African-American man.

But Normand lashed out at those who targeted the decision to release Gasser ― and at widespread angst with other recent police investigations.

“I’m disappointed in the conduct of the citizens not only of this parish but of this country,” he said. “At some point we’re going to have to start a conversation about the dialogue going on in this country.”

“Shame on you,” he later added. “It’s not really anymore about this case. It’s about all the other cases that have yet to come. We better reflect and look at ourselves in the mirror and decide what we’re going to be about in our community. Are we going to continue to tear ourselves apart?”

Some TV networks cut away from the news conference as Normand then recited vulgar, expletive-filled comments he said members of his investigative team had received from people angry about the decision to release Gasser on Thursday.

Once he began taking questions more than 20 minutes into the news conference, Normand finally offered a description of how the incident transpired. There were “multiple interactions” between McKnight and Gasser as they drove “erratically” down a highway, Normand said, and the incident occurred after McKnight pulled aside Gasser’s car at a traffic light.

The two “entered a verbal confrontation” while still in their cars, before McKnight left his vehicle, Normand said. Gasser then pulled his weapon and fired three shots that killed McKnight, he said. Gasser shot McKnight from within his own vehicle, according to Normand.

He said that, contrary to early accounts, there was no evidence that the killing was racially or politically motivated, but was instead the result of heated emotions caused by the extended dispute.

Gasser told investigators that he feared for his life when McKnight left the car, Normand said.

Then the news conference returned to Normand’s criticism of those who have challenged his department and law enforcement nationwide.

“We, in this society today, are demanding immediate results, and we don’t even know what we’re talking about,” Normand said when a reporter asked why he decided to read the explicit comments during the news conference. “We’re castigating people that are trying to do the right thing.”

Asked if he understood where some of the fear and concern about the shootings of young African-Americans originated, Normand asked, seemingly rhetorically, whether race mattered in this case.

He then cited black-on-black murder statistics in Jefferson Parish, and told the reporter the question was “misdirected,” because it did not fit the evidence he had in this case.

“I don’t mean to be offensive,” he said at the conclusion of the news conference. “We have unrealistic expectations for how these things work. ... These are not easy things.”

 

Here's more:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/sheriff-brings-trump-black-black-212807973.html

Sheriff Brings Up Trump and Black-on-Black Crime While Defending Joe McKnight Shooting Investigation
skhelling,People Tue, Dec 6 1:28 PM PST Comments Sign in to like Reblog on Tumblr Share Tweet Email

In a fiery and bizarre 50-minute news conference Tuesday morning, the Louisiana sheriff investigating the shooting death of former NFL player Joe McKnight held forth at length about the criticism his department has faced; about race relations and “black-on-black” crime; and what he called the shameful behavior of some witnesses and the public.

The remarks — nominally focused on a recent arrest in McKnight’s death — swerved passionately and erratically among many topics. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand appeared visibly angry as he defended authorities from criticism. At one point he described the actions of both the suspect and victim as “bad behavior.”

The sheriff also scolded members of the public. “Shame on you,” he said repeatedly, his voice rising.

Normand’s caustic response to the complaints triggered its own reaction: As writer Jamil Smith tweeted, Normand “was much more upset today about criticism of cops than about Joe McKnight being dead.”

The McKnight family previously told PEOPLE he was a “family man,” and they said they have turned to their faith after the killing.

“We’re holding on by the grace of God, we’re holding on,” said Barbara Franklin, McKnight’s grandmother. “God’s going to bring justice, and we’re going to continue to pray on one accord, justice.”

The family could not immediately be reached after Gasser’s arrest or Normand’s news conference.

Explaining the Arrest and Defending His Department

Normand began his news conference by telling reporters that Gasser had been charged with manslaughter and was in jail.

He said that the “totality of statement didn’t add up,” and that witnesses have come forward to dispute Gasser’s account of what happened at the scene of the fatal shooting.

Then Normand defended his decision to free Gasser the night of the shooting.

“The Stand Your Ground law gives us an obligation to get it right,” he said. “For those who have criticized us: Tough, I don’t care. I can put my head on my pillow at night knowing I did the right thing.”

After speaking about the abuse that he claimed lawmakers and community leaders have endured, Normand read an expletive-laced tirade that appeared to be social media posts critical of his handling of the case. In addition to profanity, the tirade included racial and homophobic slurs.
“It’s not fair,” Normand said. “That’s the tone of what we are calling our elected leaders for simply standing up and simply saying, ‘Let justice prevail, and let the process take its course.’ ”

“This isn’t about race,” he said. “Not a single witness to this day said there was one racial slur uttered during the course of these events. Unfortunately, a life was lost. But you want you know something, folks? Two people engaged in bad behavior that day. Why? I don’t know.”

 

And nobody recorded it with their phone?
Hard to believe.