The initial report on the death of Joe McKnight quoted a witness with a very specific account of what happened. Ronald Gasser, who admitted to shooting McKnight and was subsequently released from custody, was yelling at Joe Mcknight, who was apologizing, and then shot him more than once. The witness also said that Gasser then stood over McKnight, said "I told you don't you fuck with me," and then shot him again.Sheriff Newell Normand of Jefferson Parish put on a lengthy press conference Friday in part to dispel this account, and in part to explain why Glasser was released from custody. Normand wouldn't disclose everything the department knows about the case, "out of an abundance of caution" for fear of tainting possible future witnesses, but what he did reveal gives the department cover for Glasser's release. He was asked at the press conference about Louisiana's "Stand Your Ground" law, which does not require a person to retreat before using deadly force. If a person kills someone because they believe their life is in danger, or they are at the risk of serious bodily harm, the homicide will be considered justified. While that is a factor, here, the details Normand revealed to discredit the witness account would seem to take a Stand Your Ground defense out of play.In the course of his press conference, Normand revealed that McKnight was shot three times, in the hand, right shoulder, and chest. According to Normand and the country coroner, none of the wounds were consistent with being shot from above as the witness described. In fact, Normand also said that the shell casings were all found inside Gasser's car—that Gasser shot McKnight from his car and McKnight was in the street.While there is still a lot we don't know, we do know this: Joe McKnight was not armed, and he was not in Ronald Gasser's car. It's possible a person can feel immediately threatened by an unarmed person standing outside of their car, but it's not very likely. I don't know how it can be legitimately argued that Gasser feared for his safety, let alone life, when he was in his car.Normand spent a great deal of time urging the public to believe what the police department was saying, and sounded almost like he was more concerned with advocating on behalf of the police force in order to prevent protests than he was in providing a factual account of the homicide. He also threatened to throw protesters in jail. He obviously knows how bad this looks—the police bending over backwards to protect the rights of the white guy who killed a black guy. Let's hope there's a better explanation than that behind Gasser's release.[FOX 8]
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