4 Louisiana police officers cleared in Black man’s death

Jun 20, 2022, 3:21 PM | Updated: 3:30 pm

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — A Louisiana judge has acquitted four city police officers in the death of a Black man arrested in April 2020.

Caddo District Court Judge Chris Victory ruled Friday that prosecutors failed to prove their case against Brian Ross, James LeClare, Treona McCarter and D’Marea Johnson, news agencies reported.

Each had been charged with negligent homicide in the death of Tommie McGlothen and with malfeasance in office as a Shreveport police officer.

All four waived their right to a jury trial. After prosecutors presented their case, defense lawyers asked for the judge to rule without hearing defense testimony. After considering the case overnight, he did so.

“Our office has not yet commented on the case,” John Andrew Prime, spokesman for the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office, said in an email Monday. Shreveport police did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

McGlothen’s family is continuing with a wrongful death lawsuit against the city in federal court, their attorney said.

During the trial, prosecutors revealed that they took the case to two grand juries, and the second indicted the officers.

In their motion for what is called a directed acquittal, defense lawyers noted that Louisiana State Police and the U.S. Department of Justice both reviewed the case and neither referred it to prosecutors.

“Our faith in the judicial system has been renewed,” Michael Carter, president of the Shreveport Police Officers Association, said after the trial, KTBS-TV reported.

“We have watched the testimony each day from prosecution’s witnesses, including expert witnesses, which has confirmed the complete lack of factual evidence against our members,” Carter said.

McGlothen’s sister, LaQuita McGlothen, had called police the day her brother died, trying to get him committed because of mental problems. She told reporters she was heartbroken.

“Not only have I lost my brother, but I’ve lost my sense of community. Those that are placed in a position to serve and protect, I no longer have trust in them at all,” she said.

LaQuita McGlothen testified that she told police she was worried that her brother would be hurt because he had stopped taking medication and was becoming more and more paranoid and delusional, KTAL-TV reported.

She said she and their father were told police could only commit someone who was homicidal, suicidal, threatening others, or greatly disabled. They told her to call them back if he got worse, and to call the coroner’s office in the morning because they have broader commitment powers.

A short time later, Officer Ross saw a driver haul McGlothen from his truck’s back seat. Body camera audio recorded Ross saying there was clearly something wrong with McGlothen, the station reported.

The driver decided not to press charges. Officer McCarter, who had come to help, was heard on body cam audio saying he needed to be committed.

Less than two hours later, McGlothen blocked a woman in a driveway, then went into her house. Her husband punched him and pulled a gun to make him leave while his wife called police.

McGlothen fought officers who tried to handcuff him. The officers were put on leave after video surfaced more than two months later, showing them using a stun gun, a chemical spray and a baton on him.

He was unresponsive less than an hour later and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The family’s lawsuit contends he was left alone between his arrest and his death — something police denied.

“This whole premise that he was left unattended for 45 minutes, which was the narrative not only throughout the state’s prosecution but through the media and social media. That was a false notion. That did not occur, and that’s the shame of it,” said Officer LeClare’s attorney, Dhu Thompson.

“These officers were drug through the mud for almost two years with that false premise and the evidence showed that that just was not the case,” he said Friday.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

FILE - Gabby Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt, wipes a tear from her face during a news conference o...

Associated Press

Mother of man who killed Gabby Petito said in letter she would help son ‘dispose of a body’

The mother of the man who killed Gabby Petito told her son in an undated letter that she would “dispose of a body” if needed because she loved him so much, according to copies of the note shared publicly for the first time this week by attorneys for Petito's parents.

2 days ago

A member of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as The Old Guard, places flags in front of e...

Associated Press

5 things to know about Memorial Day including its controversies

Memorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it’s come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers.

2 days ago

FILE - This artist sketch depicts the trial of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, left, as he test...

Associated Press

Officers describe chaos, fear on Jan. 6 as judge weighs prison time for Oath Keepers’ Rhodes

Police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and public servants who fled the mob's attack told a judge on Wednesday that they are still haunted by what they endured, as the judge prepares to hand down sentences in a landmark Capitol riot case.

3 days ago

Pride month merchandise is displayed at the front of a Target store in Hackensack, N.J., Wednesday,...

Associated Press

Target on the defensive after removing LGBTQ+-themed products

Target once distinguished itself as being boldly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.

4 days ago

(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)...

Associated Press

Former Arizona television journalist announces bid for Schweikert’s US House seat

A former Phoenix television journalist announced her candidacy Wednesday for the congressional seat currently held by seven-term Republican Rep. David Schweikert.

4 days ago

Tortoise by Henry Davis earned an honorable mention in the "Adventures in Nature” student photo c...

Associated Press

When you adopt a desert tortoise, prepare for a surprisingly social and zippy pet

They’re not fluffy, they don’t play fetch and they certainly don’t roll over. But there is such a thing as a lap tortoise.

5 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Spinal fusion surgery has come a long way, despite misconceptions

As Dr. Justin Field of the Desert Institute for Spine Care explained, “we've come a long way over the last couple of decades.”

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

How to identify the symptoms of 3 common anxiety disorders

Living with an anxiety disorder can be debilitating and cause significant stress for those who suffer from the condition.

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.

4 Louisiana police officers cleared in Black man’s death