Posted on 02/05/2016 4:17:23 PM PST by BBell
In a case that critics derided as a "Houdini handcuff" suicide, prosecutors have decided not to press criminal charges in the death of Victor White III, a 22-year old man who authorities said shot himself to death while handcuffed in the back of a New Iberia police car. The office of Louisiana's 16th Judicial District attorney, Bo Duhé, said Friday (Feb. 5) that the investigation by State Police and the FBI indicated no "sufficient credible evidence" to bring criminal charges against anyone involved in the case.
The death of White drew national scrutiny because of its unusual circumstances and inconsistencies, prompting calls by the African American man's family and civil rights attorneys for a federal investigation. The FBI conducted its own inquiry and, along with other federal agencies, found no wrongdoing, the district attorney's office said.
An Iberia Parish deputy sheriff took White into custody March 3, 2014, shortly after midnight because he was found to be in possession of cocaine and marijuana. He was handcuffed and placed in the back seat of a police car. Deputies said they later heard a gunshot from the car and found White slumped in the back seat with a gunshot wound to the upper right chest.
State Police collected evidence and recovered a .25-caliber pistol, which was later determined to have fired the fatal bullet. Tests indicated White had gunshot residue on his hands, according to a statement from the district attorney's office.
An autopsy performed by Dr. Christopher Tape, a forensic pathologist with Louisiana Forensic Center LLC, determined that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest. The statement says the pathologist concluded: "The injuries on the body are consistent with a contact gunshot wound from a small caliber handgun and are possible to be self-inflicted even with hands handcuffed behind
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
Of course the family is seeking a federal lawsuit against the Sheriff and some deputies.
The cops found marijuana and cocaine but didn’t find a gun? How dd the cops miss it? Did he have the firearm between his buttocks?
Death by .25. He must been a good shot.
Suicide by cop? I’m confused. So, it IS a suicide, but not by a cop?
Probably shot himself by accident.
Yes, I always thought it was a bit of a good idea, to disarm suspects, before putting them in the squad car. Failing to do that, tends cause problems, that none of them need. The word Keystone comes to mind, and I am not referring to a pipeline.
“I solve problems.”
Very good possibility. His intention may have been to shoot the cops.
They make some pretty small .25 caliber guns. I wish I knew the make and model.
Or get it off his person and secreted somewhere in the back of the squad car.
I had a guy brought into the county lockup by the cops that still had a .25 in his boot. Fortunately, he told us about it.
That’s what I had in mind in my post 6.
It takes skill to shoot oneself in the chest while one’s hand are cuffed behind one’s back.
I always asked the dude, "dude, do you have any weapons?" If he said yes, we disarmed him. If he said no, we still disarmed him.
Marcellus: “You ain’t got no problem Jules. I’m on the mothaf-——. Go back in there, chill them ni$$as out and wait for the Wolf, who should be comin’ directly”. Jules: “You sendin’ the Wolf?” Marcellus: “Feel better?” Jules: “Sh%t Negro, that’s all you had to say!”
He could of retrieved the gun and been in the process of pulling his hand cuffed hands around his legs to the front. I could easily do this when I was younger. I don’t know I was not there.
You got Raven or Lorcin brands. Cheap guns but enough to take out the perp in this case.
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