Justice Department Will Not Pursue Charges in Victor White Shooting
December 8, 2015
The Advertiser
The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday it will not pursue charges against the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office in connection to the shooting death of Victor White III, who died from a gunshot wound while handcuffed in the back of a police car.
The Justice Department, along with local U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley's office and the FBI, reviewed all of the material and evidence generated by Louisiana State Police, including witness statements, crime scene evidence, dispatch recordings and video footage taken from police vehicles and forensic reports, according to a news release.
"After a careful and thorough review of the evidence, federal prosecutors and FBI agents have determined that the evidence here is insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any officer fired a weapon at White," Finley said in the release.
Finley said federal officials met Tuesday with the White family to inform them of this decision.
The decision comes after more than a year of outcry from community leaders and activists, who charged that Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal and the officers who arrested White that night were responsible for his death.
Protesters marched the streets of downtown New Iberia on Oct. 18 to plead for an explanation of White's death. White's father, the Rev. Victor White Sr., said during the rally that the lack of answers surrounding his son's death is delaying the grieving process.
“Nineteen months and I still don’t know what happened to my son,” he said. “Nineteen months and it’s still difficult to speak about my son’s death. Without knowing what happened to him, I can’t begin to grieve.”
During the investigation, U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley and the investigative team met with the White family to obtain additional information related to the case. Independent experts also were brought in to review the autopsy performed by the state coroner and to conduct an independent analysis of White’s death.
On the night of March 2, 2014, a deputy responding to a 911 call regarding a fight at a local store stopped White and his friend, who were on their way back from the store. White was taken into custody after marijuana and cocaine were found in his possession.
White was handcuffed behind his back and placed in the back seat of the patrol car and taken to the patrol center. While White was in the back seat of the patrol car, which was parked in the patrol center parking lot, a gun fired, causing a fatal wound to White.
Ballistics testing confirmed the gun used in the shooting was a small .25 caliber handgun found on the back seat of the patrol car, adjacent to and behind White after the shooting.
The investigation revealed White possessed a handgun of that caliber earlier that evening.
Experts determined the handgun was in close proximity to his body when it was discharged. In addition, gunshot residue was found on both of White’s hands.
Both the state coroner and independent federal medical experts concluded that White fired the shot while handcuffed.
The autopsy revealed a gunshot wound to the chest, with the bullet entering on the right side below the right nipple, and exiting on the left side of the chest near the armpit.
December 8, 2015
The Advertiser
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| The Rev. Victor White Sr., the father of Victor White III, addresses the crowd at the March to End Police Brutality. Photo Credit: Seth Dickerson |
The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday it will not pursue charges against the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office in connection to the shooting death of Victor White III, who died from a gunshot wound while handcuffed in the back of a police car.
The Justice Department, along with local U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley's office and the FBI, reviewed all of the material and evidence generated by Louisiana State Police, including witness statements, crime scene evidence, dispatch recordings and video footage taken from police vehicles and forensic reports, according to a news release.
"After a careful and thorough review of the evidence, federal prosecutors and FBI agents have determined that the evidence here is insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any officer fired a weapon at White," Finley said in the release.
Finley said federal officials met Tuesday with the White family to inform them of this decision.
The decision comes after more than a year of outcry from community leaders and activists, who charged that Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal and the officers who arrested White that night were responsible for his death.
Protesters marched the streets of downtown New Iberia on Oct. 18 to plead for an explanation of White's death. White's father, the Rev. Victor White Sr., said during the rally that the lack of answers surrounding his son's death is delaying the grieving process.
“Nineteen months and I still don’t know what happened to my son,” he said. “Nineteen months and it’s still difficult to speak about my son’s death. Without knowing what happened to him, I can’t begin to grieve.”
During the investigation, U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley and the investigative team met with the White family to obtain additional information related to the case. Independent experts also were brought in to review the autopsy performed by the state coroner and to conduct an independent analysis of White’s death.
On the night of March 2, 2014, a deputy responding to a 911 call regarding a fight at a local store stopped White and his friend, who were on their way back from the store. White was taken into custody after marijuana and cocaine were found in his possession.
White was handcuffed behind his back and placed in the back seat of the patrol car and taken to the patrol center. While White was in the back seat of the patrol car, which was parked in the patrol center parking lot, a gun fired, causing a fatal wound to White.
Ballistics testing confirmed the gun used in the shooting was a small .25 caliber handgun found on the back seat of the patrol car, adjacent to and behind White after the shooting.
The investigation revealed White possessed a handgun of that caliber earlier that evening.
Experts determined the handgun was in close proximity to his body when it was discharged. In addition, gunshot residue was found on both of White’s hands.
Both the state coroner and independent federal medical experts concluded that White fired the shot while handcuffed.
The autopsy revealed a gunshot wound to the chest, with the bullet entering on the right side below the right nipple, and exiting on the left side of the chest near the armpit.
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