Louisiana Sheriff Goes on Obscenity-Laden Tirade in Defense of Police in Joe McKnight Case

Responding to community outrage that the Louisiana man who shot and killed former NFL player Joe McKnight in an alleged road-rage incident had initially been set free, Jefferson Parish sheriff Newell Normand went on a explicit, slur-laden tirade during a Tuesday press conference in defense of officials’ actions.

After confessing to fatally shooting McKnight, a black man, multiple times on Thursday, 54-year-old Ronald Gasser, who is white, was questioned by the New Orleans Jefferson Paris sheriff’s department before being released “sometime overnight” with no charges filed at the time—”a decision that prompted demonstrations and outrage on social media,” according to The New Orleans Advocate.

Some of the more offensive expressions of that outrage were read on live TV by Normand during the Tuesday morning press conference, after it was reported that Gasser had been arrested and charged with manslaughter.

His response shocked observers who were taken aback by the language as well as his defensiveness. As many noted, Normand unflinchingly repeated offensive, racist remarks to discuss a case already facing criticisms of racial bias.

Watch the press conference below. (Warning: explicit language)

Reporting further on the press conference, local outlet KATC noted that Normand laid the blame for the shooting on both the victim as well as the killer. 

KATC reports:

The incident comes against a backdrop of national outrage over violence and discrimination against people of color, particularly in cases where law enforcement is involved.