Police in Lafayette, Louisiana shot and killed a black man multiple times as he walked through a gas station parking lot with what witnesses say was a knife in his hand. It was caught on bystander video.
Warning: Video below is graphic and disturbing
Lafayette Interim Police Chief Scott Morgan told reporters they have turned the probe over to Louisiana State Police.
"So we are going to have an unbiased investigation by an independent department," Morgan said. "We expect to do whatever we can as far as transparency goes."
He acknowledged that his officers shot the suspect.
"We don't know how many officers were involved at this point."
He did not release further information.
"They responded to a disturbance at the Circle K," Louisiana State Police Trooper Derel Senegal said. "A foot pursuit ensued which ended at the Shell Gas station where the subject was shot."
Witnesses say the suspect had a knife and refused to stop when police approached him. The witnesses also say that police used a TASER on the man, but it did not stop him.
The video then shows police opening fire and shooting the suspect.
Louisiana State Police later issued the following news release:
On August 21, 2020, the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations was requested by the Lafayette Police Department (LPD) to investigate a shooting incident involving their officers.
The preliminary investigation revealed that shortly after 8:00 p.m., LPD officers responded to a disturbance involving a person armed with a knife at a convenience store located along NE Evangeline Throughway. Upon arrival, officers encountered 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin of Lafayette in the parking lot of the convenience store. As LPD officers attempted to apprehend Pellerin, he fled the scene and a foot pursuit ensued. Officers deployed Tasers as they pursued Pellerin, but they were ineffective.
Pellerin, who was still armed with a knife, attempted to enter an occupied convenience store located along NW Evangeline Throughway. Officers discharged their weapons and he was struck by gunfire. Pellerin was transported to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead. No officers were injured.
The investigation is active and ongoing. No further information is available at this time.
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