Scott Toups, a 59-year-old carjacking and shooting victim, is in a semi-coma almost two months after he was attacked by a Bridge City escapee.
Toups’ wife Stacy describes her husband as a happy man, enjoyer of his electrical foreman job, a member of a Mardi Gras krewe, and father of three adult sons.
It all began in the afternoon of July 17th when Toups was dropping off Mardi Gras beads near the intersection of Loyola and Nashville when he was carjacked by one of six juvenile inmates who escaped from Bridge City Center.
"Not only did he shoot him twice when it was completely unnecessary because all he wanted was the car, he took the time to take the wallet out of his back pocket as he’s bleeding on the ground… he took the credit cards, left his license, business cards and then placed it back in his back pocket and then drove away. Who does that? What kind of individual? Heartless," Toups related to WWL-TV.
During a visit to Toups District Attorney Jason Williams promised he would prosecute accused carjacker and shooter as an adult.
Mrs. Toups also reached out to Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
"Based on what she did the previous week, being on the side of the perpetrator, I had a question to ask and I began calling," Toups said. "I asked her, 'if invited, if given ample time, would you be there physically in the court room?' and she said, 'I'm always on the side of the victim,' I told her I could see she was dancing around the question."
For the time being she continues to wait and hope and pray for improvements.
"We've had the hard discussions," she said. "He has some moments of clarity. His nurse told me this morning that she said, 'if you can hear me, put your thumb up,' and he gave a halfhearted thumbs up."