Free Republic

Merritt Landry, the homeowner who shot an unarmed teenager in the head after finding the intruder on his Marigny property, no longer faces criminal prosecutionOrleans Parish prosecutors on Thursday announced the decision to decline charges following news that Marshall Coulter, 15, who survived the shooting, had been arrested in connection with burglaries in the same neighborhood. The decision also comes after a grand jury failed to take action earlier this year, leaving the viability of the case in doubt."I am ethically obligated not to charge an individual against whom I do not possess evidence that proves beyond a reasonable doubt...

NEW ORLEANS —An Orleans Parish grand jury didn't return anything Thursday in the case against a Marigny homeowner who shot a teen intruder in the head in July 2013.Merritt Landry, 33, was arrested and accused of second-degree attempted murder in the shooting of 14-year-old Marshall Coulter. Police said the teen climbed a fence into Landry's yard in the 700 block of Mandeville Street at 2 a.m. on July 26. Landry fired once at Coulter, striking him in the head. The grand jury didn't take any action in the case as it convened on Thursday. The grand jury meets in six-month...

NAACP and community members gather to call for an investigation into the bond given to Merritt Landry Wednesday, July 31, 2013 in New Orleans.

Merritt Landry, a 33-year-old “white caucasian” shot the victim, a 14-year-old black boy, in the head. A single spent cartridge case was recovered at the scene, indicating that a semi-automatic weapon was used and suggesting that a single shot was fired. The hour of the shooting was approximately 2:00AM, on Friday, July 26, 2013. As of this writing the victim is reported to remain alive, in critical condition at a local hospital.