May 18, 2021- 9:15 p.m.
LAFAYETTE, LA – The Lafayette Police Department officers who fatally shot a man outside a gas station will not face charges, Don Landry, the 15th Judicial District Attorney, said at a press conference. Ron Haley, the attorney for the family of 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin, confirmed the grand jury would not return a true bill of indictment right before the press conference was scheduled with Landry.
Pellerin was fatally shot outside a north Lafayette gas station by police. The grand jury considered a second degree murder charge, and lesser charges were not considered. Landry said his office would not release the names of the officers involved. Landry called Pellerin’s death “a tragedy for all those who loved him.
This is also a tragedy for our community,” Landry said. Landry said the Louisiana State Police investigated the shooting and presented its findings to his office.
Landry said his office conducted its own investigation. He repeatedly praised the officers involved in the shooting, saying the event was also tragic for them. He said they were trained in “the best methods and technique” and were responding to “a dangerous situation.” Pellerin had a knife in his left hand.
Officers chased Pellerin across traffic and repeatedly called for him to drop the knife. Two officers deployed tasers, but neither worked. Landry said it was likely that only one prong made contact with Pellerin, meaning the electric current would not pass through him.
As Pellerin approached the door to a convenience store, officers called for Pellerin to stop. When he did not, officers fired 11 shots into Pellerin in 2.4 seconds, Landry said. During his confrontation with officers, Pellerin could be heard threatening to stab an officer. Landry said a toxicology report indicated Pellerin had methamphetamine in his system. He also said that Pellerin’s body language was non-aggressive, and he was constantly retreating from officers.
Pellerin’s mother, Michelle Pellerin, said she had not seen much of the evidence that Landry presented at his conference. Pellerin’s death set off days of protests in Lafayette, with demonstrators calling for transparency in the investigation and the firing of the officers involved, three of whom were placed on paid administrative leave.
Pellerin’s family has filed a federal lawsuit against the Lafayette Police Department for damages related to his death. The family is requesting a jury trial to seek damages from the police department and 10 officers, referred to in the lawsuit as John Doe numbers 1-10, who were either involved in Pellerin’s death or in charge of operations at the department, as well as interim Chief of Police Scott Morgan.
