Baton Rouge police have issued an arrest warrant for second degree murder and illegal use of a weapon in the fatal shooting of a man who was asking people for money outside a Trader Joe’s, according to WAFB.
Danny, 61, was shot in the store’s parking lot on Perkins Road on Saturday night, Aug. 22. Police charged Jace, 24, more than 72 hours after the shooting, after reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with eyewitnesses, WAFB reports. Jace is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Attorneys for Danny’s family say he was unarmed and disabled because of existing health conditions, and was well known in the community. Attorney Ron Haley said the family is outraged that the suspect was able to leave the scene, and has said the killing is an assault on the poor as well as an issue of race. Attorney Ryan Thompson said the family wants the case prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and is open to a possible federal hate crime charge.
A woman who goes by Kaylee told WAFB that Danny had asked her for money shortly before the shooting. She said he came into her personal space, but that she never felt threatened. She told the family’s attorneys she heard a man tell Danny to leave her and her roommate alone before she heard gunfire. She said she tried to tell police what she heard that night, and gave a statement the next day.
Police say that when officers arrived, Jace told them he shot Danny. He was questioned and released that night. According to the police report, officers noted that Danny was “aggressively harassing customers.” The family’s attorneys have questioned why Jace was not arrested at the scene and say the case was not treated equally.
The city’s mayor asked Police Chief Murphy Paul to review how the incident was handled. A GoFundMe was started by Danny’s son to help pay for funeral expenses.
Made to order and shipped to your door.
