NEW ORLEANS, La. - Investigators worked Thursday to determine if the gun used in the shooting death of Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Deputy David Michel, Jr. was stolen, as family members of the suspect questioned the use of force of deputies who apprehended him.
Jermain Neveaux, 19, was booked on charges of resisting police force, battery of a police officer, first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a firearm before he arrived at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.
Jefferson Sheriff Newell Normand said Neveaux remained at University Medical Center to be treated for injuries he sustained Wednesday. How Neveaux sustained those injuries is an investigation Normand said he began conducting Wednesday.
Deputies worked Thursday to determine if the gun used in the shooting had been stolen. It was never reported as such to federal authorities, but its last legal sale dates back to the 1990’s.
“We've been able to initially trace it back to a purchase from a gun store in 1995, which would have been a year before his birth, so we know he didn't make the purchase,” Normand said.
Neveaux has only been arrested one time in New Orleans. In February 2016, New Orleans Police arrested him for possession of a stolen gun after they found one hidden in a child’s car seat in the trunk of Neveaux’s car.
That arrest happened in the Lower Garden District in the River Garden Neighborhood. Police said Thursday they suspect Neveaux is tied to a street gang called the 55ers, who operate out of River Garden.
His family members, who did not want to be identified, said it was a first brush with the law for an otherwise good guy.
Just last week, as part of a plea deal, Neveaux pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a stolen gun and was placed on six months of inactive probation.
Chris Bowman, a spokesman for Leon Cannizzaro said, “A gun, which had been reported stolen six months before the stop, was recovered in the trunk of Neveaux's car. Given the passage of time between the theft of the gun and the February stop, it would have been extremely difficult for the DA’s Office to prove that the defendant knew or should have known the gun was stolen.”
Activist group Louisiana United International questions whether the plea deal was a slap on the wrist.
“Felons are being released back into society and we have more severe crimes being committed,” said Maj. Tracy Riley-retired, a member of LUI.
In this case, Neveaux is accused of shooting Deputy Michel three times in the back, killing the officer.
Thursday, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff said Neveaux remained hospitalized to try and stabilize the soon-to-be inmate’s blood pressure. He said Neveaux had sustained an orbital, or eye socket, fracture and he had abrasions on his face.
Family members said they were told Neveaux also had broken ribs and a broken jaw, but they had not been able to see the 19-year-old. His mother was traveling in from Houston Thursday, the only family member who will be given access to him.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office released a booking photo of Neveaux late Thursday evening, but it doesn't show scratches or any injuries to his face. JPSO didn't immediately respond to an inquiry about when the photo was taken.
Questions remained Thursday about how Neveaux sustained the bulk of those injuries.
“We do know that our officers struck him several times while they were trying to affect an arrest and some of his injuries may have been caused by that," Normand said.
Even the night of the shooting, Normand said he was investigating how his deputies handled the apprehension.
“There are some major voids from the initial altercation and even with the initial altercation, we don't really know whether Officer Michel actually struck him or anything else because of witness vantage points and things of that nature,” Normand continued that Neveaux could also have been injured when he was jumping fences to elude capture.
The sheriff urged witnesses to both the shooting and the apprehension to come forward Thursday, telling them to call the FBI if they are too scared to reach out to JPSO.