Two Louisiana deputies have been charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting death of an unarmed man.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph P. Lopinto III said in a news conference on Monday that deputies Isaac Hughes and Johnathan Louis were arrested and fired from their positions for their involvement in the death of Daniel Vallee.
Authorities said five officers responded to a call about a noise complaint from a local resident who lived next door to a drug house on Feb.16.
While investigating the complaint, authorities found Vallee inside an SUV out front and questioned him on unrelated matters involving an overdose and theft of four-wheelers.
When officers asked Vallee to step out of the vehicle, he refused. Twelve minutes into the incident, Lopinto said Vallee started the ignition as one deputy stood directly in front of the SUV.
“That, of course, escalated the situation,” Lopinto said. Several deputies drew their guns in response, expecting Vallee to take off.
“They begged for him to turn the vehicle off, to not put the vehicle in drive, to not put them in this situation,” he added.
Lopinto said that Vallee dropped his hands, hitting the horn of the vehicle, which startled the officers and resulted in the two of them opening fire at Vallee, killing him.
Lopinto added that Vallee, 34, was unarmed throughout the incident.
This comes as Hughes, 29, and Louis, 35, each face one count of manslaughter in the death of Valle.
Valle’s family members said in an interview with Nola.com that Valle has battled drug addiction in recent years, leading him to commit property crimes to pay for his habit, adding that he wasn’t a violent person.
“He’s a struggling addict. That doesn’t mean he should have been shot and killed in the manner that he was,” his aunt, Tara Phillips, said. “None of this is sitting right with me.”