NEW ORLEANS — Two men were shot and killed by detectives in the parking lot of an IHOP restaurant in Gretna after they backed their car into a deputy and also struck a JPSO vehicle, according to Sheriff Joe Lopinto.
Relatives of the two men who were shot – 38-year-old Chris Joseph and 39-year-old Daviri Robertson – said they want answers as to whether the use of lethal force was necessary. Lopinto said undercover officers were staging a purchase of drugs when the incident occurred. Family members said the men weren’t armed. The sheriff’s office has not commented on that aspect.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Darrelyn Robertson, girlfriend of Robertson. “I missed out on him waiting to come home. I just got off work. You don’t make it home. You’re not answering your phone because you’re dead. You got shot by police. Why? I want to know why.”
A Jefferson Parish detective was also shot. Lopinto said it appears he was hit by one of his colleagues. He said the officers who fired their weapons were reacting to a threat.
“That driver put the vehicle in reverse, striking one of our detectives. Two of the detectives being struck, fired into the passenger compartment, targeting the driver,” he said.
Family members said they aren’t sure that the use of force was necessary and they want answers.
“I’m just asking for fairness and that everything be looked at the proper way,” said Cheryl Strickland, Joseph’s mother-in-law. “Was it really necessary for what they did last night? Was it justifiable?”
A vigil was planned at the restaurant, which is near the Oakwood Center, starting at 7 p.m. Thursday.