JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — One of the prosecution's key witnesses took the stand on day three of the manslaughter trial of two former Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputies Jonathan Louis and Isaac Hughes.
Nationally recognized police use-of-force expert Ken Katsaris spent most of the afternoon testifying that there was no justification for them to shoot and kill an unarmed man in a vehicle two years ago.
They are accused of killing 34-year-old Daniel Vallee who was parked on Marrero street in the early morning hours of February 16, 2022.
At the core of this case is whether the shooting was legal.
Katsaris testified the deputies had reasonable suspicion to question Vallee when they smelled marijuana as they approached his vehicle.
But Vallee refused to step out, leading to a tense 13-minute-long confrontation between Vallee and deputies on the scene.
Body camera video reviewed by Katsaris and the jury showed Louis and Hughes firing 27 times at Vallee after he suddenly dropped his hands, restarted his vehicle, and beeped his horn.
The vehicle never moved.
According to Katsaris, there was no reason for the deputies to make a split-second decision to shoot.
He noted that deputies were surrounding the vehicle in position to see what Vallee was doing inside and they didn’t see a firearm.
He also testified there were other options to control the situation – such as using police cruisers to block Vallee from escaping.
Prosecutor Douglas Rushton asked Katsaris, “Based on your review of training and review of all the evidence do you have an opinion on whether these officers were authorized to use deadly force?
“They were not,” Katsaris responded.
Katsaris testified deadly force would have been justified if the deputies were in imminent danger of death or bodily harm.
Defense attorneys argue this is a self-defense case and that Louis and Hughes feared for their lives when they fired their weapons.
Earlier, Sgt. Michael Pizzolato who trains deputies at the JPSO academy was questioned by Hughes’ attorney Warner Thompson.
Thompson asked, “You don’t have to wait until you see a muzzle flash (of a gun) to use deadly force?”
“Correct,” Pizzolato responded.
Thompson: “You don’t have to wait to be hit by a vehicle to use deadly force?
Pizzolato: “Correct”
If convicted of manslaughter, Louis and Hughes could face up to 40 years in prison.
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