In a media briefing on Monday, New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson gave new details of what led to the fatal shooting of a Tulane University Police officer working security at a Carver High School basketball game last Friday night.
Chief Ferguson says after their investigation into the fatal shooting of Tulane Police Officer Martinus Mitchum, they still do not have a motive for the shooting.
The suspect, John Shallerhorn, 35, attempted to enter the Carver play-off basketball game but was denied entrance to the gymnasium by a staff member for not wearing a mask according to Ferguson.
An altercation between the staffer and Shallerhorn broke out and Shallerhorn punched the staff worker in the face.
As Mitchum, along with the staff worker, escorted Shallerhorn off-campus; Shallerhorn then pulled a gun out of his waistband and shot Mitchum twice in the chest.
As a TUPD officer; Mitchum owns a department-issued bulletproof vest but for unknown reasons he was not wearing it at the time he was shot.
Ferguson says immediately after the shooting Shallerhorn threw down his gun and surrendered to officers responding to the shooting.
Ferguson also says moments before the shooting police got a call of an armed robbery that happened at that same location, where a man in the gym’s parking lot, was robbed of his medallion chain.
That same medallion chain was found on Shallerhorn’s person when he was taken into custody says Ferguson.
Speaking at the NOPD media briefing, Tulane University Police Chief Kirk Bouyelas, and Second City Court Constable Edwin Shorty, Jr., gave their heartfelt condolences to Mitchum’s family and spoke highly of his character as a person and an officer.
“It is not just a loss for us at Tulane or for the Constable’s office; it is a loss for the community,” said TUPD Chief Kirk Bouyelas. “Mitchum was an incredible guy. He was the kind of individual that if I could have an entire police department made up of him...his clones, we’d have an awesome police department...he was always very forgiving….never seen him angry.”
“He was an amazing individual,” said Second City Court Constable Edwin Shorty, Jr. “Every location that he worked in he was always involved in the schools in those locations….. He was always involved with the kid’s lives...reaching into his own pocket to make sure kids who didn’t have, had; whether it was if they fell short for prom or fell short to buy rings for sporting events, or just being able to lend a helping hand."
