There were multiple large protests in Lafayette over the weekend against the Friday night police killing of 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin.
A video shows officers following and shooting Pellerin, who was walking with a knife. NAACP Lafayette President Mardja Broussard says there had to be a better way for police to handle this.
“It is painful to hear all of those shots, those gunshots, towards one person,” says Broussard.
The video appears to show Lafayette police shouting for Pellerin to stop before they began tazing him to no effect. As he began entering a convenience store at least ten shots were fired, seemingly into Pellerin’s back.
Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory has released a statement in support of the officer’s actions. Broussard calls Guillory a racist mayor.
“We know that a lot of what he has done since he was sworn in in January has negatively impacted the African American community,” says Broussard.
The incident is now being investigated by State Police.
Broussard notes this is the third Lafayette Police officer-involved shooting in the last five months.
“That number is correct and it is alarming, what we thought was far distant from us is actually in our front yard,” says Broussard.
State Police say the officers were responding to reports of a disturbance at a nearby convenience store when they first approached Pellerin and attempted to taze him. They say he then fled half a mile to the next store before the final, fatal confrontation.