by A White Louisiana police officer was arrested Thursday for fatally shooting an unarmed black man who was trying to flee from police earlier this month while responding to a domestic disturbance call, authorities said.
After reviewing evidence and footage from officers’ body-worn cameras, state officers charged Shreveport Police Officer Alexander Tyler, 23, with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Alonzo Bagley, 43.
The Louisiana State Police on Thursday released body camera footage of the fatal encounter, along with audio from the 911 record reporting the initial disturbance.
Officers responded to the disturbance around 10:50 p.m. on February 3 in Shreveport, a city in northwest Louisiana. During the 911 call, a person posing as Bagley’s wife said her husband was “charged” and was threatening her and her daughter.
Tyler and another unidentified officer arrived at the apartment, where Bagley opened the door and held a glass bottle of brown liquid. Bagley said he had to take his dog away, went to the back of the apartment onto a balcony, jumped on the ground outside and ran. The officers then began the pursuit.
“As he rounded a corner of the building, Officer Tyler observed Mr. Bagley and fired a shot from his service pistol, hitting Mr. Bagley in the chest,” Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Lamar Davis said in one message conference earlier this month.
In the video, Bagley can be heard saying, “Oh god, you shot me” as he collapsed to the ground.
Officers immediately rendered assistance when one of the men – it is unclear who – said: “No. No. sir sir hey hey hey
After the shooting, Tyler “made multiple statements, claiming the suspect walked up to him and that he couldn’t see his hands,” state police court documents said. Investigators found no weapons in Bagley’s possession.
Tyler, who has been with the police department since May 2021, is currently on paid administrative leave, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said Thursday. Smith said he knew Tyler was involved in a policy violation involving “violence against a suspect,” but didn’t elaborate.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Tyler had hired an attorney to speak on his behalf, but he was released on $25,000 bail Thursday afternoon. In Louisiana, a charge of involuntary manslaughter is punishable by up to five years in prison after conviction.
Bagley family members have filed a $10 million lawsuit against Tyler.
“The deadly force used against Mr. Bagley was unjustified, unreasonable, excessive and violates Mr. Bagley’s rights under the United States Constitution and the laws of the State of Louisiana,” according to the lawsuit, filed by Bagley’s wife. mother and stepdaughter.
The family has hired Louisiana attorney Ronald Haley, who has represented other high-profile clients including the family of Ronald Greene, a black motorist whose 2019 Death in state police custody in northern Louisiana led to lawsuits and criminal charges against law enforcement officials.
During a news conference Thursday afternoon with some of Bagley’s relatives, Haley said the fact that Bagley fled police should not be equated with a “death sentence.”
“Fleeing doesn’t mean killing,” Haley said. “Escape does not mean that you are the judge, the jury and the executioner, and that is what happened. That’s what happened in this case… and it’s an incident we see far too often in the state. It’s an incident we see far too often in this country.”
During the press conference, Xavier Sudds said he hoped his brother’s death “means something”.
There have been several high-profile fatal shootings in Louisiana involving officers — including those involving Greene and Alton Sterling, a black man who was shot by an officer outside a Baton Rouge supermarket after being wrestled to the ground .
“I appreciate everyone’s condolences and prayers, but none of this compares to the pain I feel, the pain my mother feels. … That’s going to continue for a while,” Sudds said.
