A warrant has been issued for a federal investigator who was recovering in a hospital on Tuesday after a state trooper shot him during the weekend.
Ronald Martin, 44, of Fort Knox, Kentucky, is wanted on a charge of aggravated assault. State Police said Martin will be booked after he is released from the hospital.
Martin was reportedly shot after a trooper saw Martin with a gun in his hands about 3 a.m. Sunday in the 800 block of Port of New Orleans Place. Martin pointed the gun at the trooper, at which time he fired at Martin and hit him twice, Martin's attorney said.
The Army's Criminal Investigation Division confirmed Martin is one of its civilian special agents. "The agent is recovering in the hospital from his injuries and is suspended from all law enforcement duties pending the outcome of the investigation," the CID said in a statement.
New Orleans attorney Elizabeth Carpenter, who is representing Martin, earlier Tuesday described the encounter as “a big misunderstanding.”
Carpenter said Martin, who was on vacation in the city with his wife, was headed back his hotel when he got lost and noticed some young kids following him, trying to intimidate him.
She also said that he eventually decided to turn around and pull out a pistol he had in an ankle holster in an effort to frighten them off.
"He felt like he was going to be physically harmed or mugged or something of that sort," Carpenter said.
According to State Police, "The trooper observed the person with a weapon and during the encounter shot the subject."
The LSP also confirmed investigators obtained a search warrant for the agent's DNA.
The agent's attorney also confirms police confiscated his gun.
She said her client claims he didn't hear police commands to put down his weapon. He also claims he didn't fire the gun.
"He did say this, if it had been fired, it was accidentally fired during all of that chaos that was going on," Carpenter said. "But, he does not remember it going off."