MARRERO, La. — Surveillance video obtained Tuesday by WWL Louisiana shows what happened before a Jefferson Parish Deputy shot a man Monday night in Marrero.
“The car lunged directly at the officer itself,” said Sheriff Joe Lopinto soon after the shooting.
The video, from a nearby business, shows a dark-colored SUV trying to exit a parking lot onto Lapalco Blvd. It stopped for a few seconds before moving forward.
That’s when Sheriff Joe Lopinto says the deputy pulled out a gun.
“The officer hurried up and turned around, ended up firing a shot,” said Sheriff Lopinto.
Photos from the scene show what appears to be at least one bullet hole in the windshield. Sheriff Lopinto said a 59-year-old man was shot in the shoulder. The sheriff says he was taken to a hospital and will survive.
“Our deputies are doing their job in trying to clear the intersections and get people out of here and safely,” said Sheriff Lopinto.
The shooting happened near the intersection of Lapalco and Ames boulevards, soon after the Mystic Krewe of Music parade. The sheriff says the deputy was out doing traffic control near the parking lot where the SUV tried to exit over a curb.
“This was not an exit for the parking lot. It was jumping over the curb and coming forward,” said Sheriff Lopinto. “It was not where a person should have been coming out.”
Before the shooting, surveillance video shows someone moving a barricade, allowing multiple cars to flow from the same spot. The deputy appears to watch it all happen before eventually trying to stop the SUV.
“In this case, the guy ignored those commands and certainly was shot ignoring those commands,” said Sheriff Lopinto.
After shooting the man, the video shows the deputy opening the driver’s door. The man gets out. Seconds later another officer runs up. Sheriff Lopinto said it’s unclear right now whether the man was intoxicated.
“I don’t know if it’s alcohol-induced but let’s face it, there’s a reason we have these roadways shut down,” said Lopinto.
According to WWL reporting from last year, there were at least eight different times when a Jefferson parish deputy ended up shooting someone, some of them deadly.
WWL reached out to the sheriff’s office several times Tuesday for an update and whether the man who was shot faces any charges. As of Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff’s office hasn’t responded.
Monday night the sheriff said his office is reviewing body camera video and witness statements.
This is an ongoing story and will be updated once further information becomes available.
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