Louisiana officer arrested, charged with negligent homicide for killing Black man

A White Louisiana police officer was arrested Thursday for fatally capturing an unarmed Black man who was making an attempt to flee police responding to a home disturbance name earlier this month, authorities mentioned.

After reviewing proof and pictures from officers’ body-worn cameras, state troopers charged Shreveport Police Officer Alexander Tyler, 23, with negligent murder within the dying of Alonzo Bagley, 43.

Louisiana State Police on Thursday launched physique digicam footage of the deadly encounter, in addition to audio from the 911 recording reporting the preliminary disturbance.

Officers responded to the disturbance round 10:50 p.m. on Feb. 3 in Shreveport, a metropolis in northwest Louisiana. Within the 911 name, an individual who recognized herself as Bagley’s spouse mentioned her husband was “loaded on one thing” and threatening her and her daughter.

Tyler and one other unidentified officer arrived on the house, the place Bagley opened the door holding a glass bottle with brown liquid. Bagley mentioned that he needed to put away his canine, walked to the again of the house onto a balcony, jumped to the bottom exterior and ran. The officers then started chasing him.

“Upon rounding a nook of the constructing, Officer Tyler noticed Mr. Bagley and fired one shot from his service weapon, which struck Mr. Bagley within the chest,” Col. Lamar Davis, the superintendent of Louisiana State Police, mentioned at a information convention earlier this month.

Within the video, Bagley could be heard saying, “Oh God, you shot me,” as he slumped to the bottom.

The officers instantly rendered assist as one of many males — it’s unclear who — mentioned, “No. No. Sir. Sir. Hey. Hey. Hey. No. No.”

After the capturing, Tyler made “a number of statements claiming the suspect got here towards him and he couldn’t see his palms,” in accordance with court docket paperwork by state police. Investigators didn’t discover any weapons in Bagley’s possession.

Tyler, who has been with the police division since Could 2021, is presently on paid administrative go away, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith mentioned Thursday. Smith mentioned that, to his data, Tyler had been concerned in a single coverage violation during which there was “violence to a suspect,” however didn’t elaborate additional.

It was not instantly clear whether or not Tyler had employed an lawyer who might touch upon his behalf, however as of Thursday afternoon he was launched on a bond of $25,000. In Louisiana, a negligent murder cost carries a jail sentence of as much as 5 years upon conviction.

Members of the family of Bagley have filed a $10 million lawsuit towards Tyler.

“The deadly power used towards Mr. Bagley was unjustified, unreasonable, extreme, and in violation of Mr. Bagley’s rights below the USA Structure and the legal guidelines of the State of Louisiana,” the lawsuit mentioned, which was filed by Bagley’s spouse, mom and stepdaughter.

The household has employed Louisiana lawyer Ronald Haley, who has represented different high-profile purchasers together with the household of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist whose 2019 dying in state police custody in north Louisiana prompted lawsuits and legal expenses towards regulation enforcement officers.

Throughout a Thursday afternoon press convention with a few of Bagley’s kinfolk, Haley mentioned the truth that Bagley fled from police mustn’t equate to a “dying sentence.”

“Flight doesn’t imply shoot to kill,” Haley mentioned. “Flight doesn’t imply you’re the decide, jury and executioner, and that is what occurred. That was what occurred on this case … and it’s an incident that we see far too typically within the state. It is an incident that we see far too typically round this nation.”

Throughout the information convention, Xavier Sudds mentioned he hopes his brother’s dying “means one thing.” 

Louisiana has had a number of high-profile deadly officer-involved shootings — together with those involving Greene and Alton Sterling, a Black man who was shot and killed by an officer exterior a comfort retailer in Baton Rouge after being wrestled to the bottom.

“I respect everyone’s condolences and prayers however none of that compares to the ache that I am feeling, the ache that my mother is feeling. … That is going to linger for some time, for a very long time,” Sudds mentioned.