As a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office narcotics detective lay in a New Orleans hospital Thursday (March 28), recuperating from a gunshot wound believed to be the result of friendly fire, authorities continued their investigation into the drug bust that also left two suspects dead following a barrage of gunfire in a Terrytown IHOP parking lot.
Coroner’s office names 2 men shot, killed by JPSO detectives in Terrytown drug sting
The Jefferson Parish coroner’s office identified the deceased as Chris Joseph, 38, and Daviri “BeBop” Robertson, 39, both of New Orleans. Grieving relatives tried the reconcile the details surrounding their deaths with the men they knew and love.
“He was nothing like what they say,” Robertson’s brother, David Robertson said Thursday afternoon. “He was an excellent father. He has five children that depended on him for their survival.”
Other relatives still want answers from the department about the detectives’ lethal use of force.
“They did not have to kill him at all. They did not have to shoot him. He was not armed. He did not have no gun or anything,” Chris Joseph’s sister, Donna Joseph, told WVUE Fox 8.
Bullets fly
The shootings occurred within view of diners eating in the IHOP at 151 West Bank Expressway, near Oakwood Shopping Center, according to Sheriff Joseph Lopinto. IHOP shares the parking lot with a La Quinta Inn.
Narcotics detective conducting an undercover investigation arranged to buy drugs from a dealer at the location, Lopinto said. The suspect vehicle, a silver Dodge, pulled into the parking lot about 10:20 p.m. with Joseph behind the wheel and Robertson in the passenger seat.
The plainclothes detectives boxed in the car with two pickup trucks, a blue Dodge Ram 4x4 and a black Ford F-150. Four detectives got out of the trucks and approached the car to arrest the suspects, prompting Joseph to put the vehicle in reverse, hitting an officer, Lopinto said.
That’s when two detectives shot into the vehicle, striking Joseph and Robertson. One of the bullets traveled through the car windows and hit another detective in the abdomen, Lopinto said.
The wounded detective, who had been standing on the passenger side of the car, was driven to University Medical Center where was in stable condition following surgery.
Kimberly Van Diepen, of Pensacola, Fla., said she heard about 15 gunshots from her room at the Laquinta.
Cell phone video taken by a person inside the IHOP shows the moments after the shooting as the detectives, some with guns still trained on the silver Dodge, try to break out the car’s windows to access the slumped-over occupants.
Joseph was pronounced dead at the scene while Robertson died after he was taken to the hospital, according to the coroner’s office.
The Sheriff’s Office declined to comment Thursday on whether any drugs or guns were recovered from the car. Authorities also haven’t said whether the detective identified themselves as law enforcement during the encounter.
Close friends
Joseph and Robertson both have criminal records. Joseph has convictions for aggravated flight from an officer, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft possession of crack cocaine and access device fraud.
Robertson has pleaded guilty to aggravated battery, possession of crack cocaine, illegally carrying a weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court records.
He was scheduled to appear in Orleans Parish Criminal Court in April on charges of simple battery, possession of a firearm by a felon and aggravated assault with a firearm.
Longtime friend Kendra Mason said Robertson and Joseph grew up together in the 9th Ward.
“They were stuck like glue. You would have thought they were real brothers, they were together so much,” she said. “Everyone in the 9th Ward is hurting. They were loved by all.”
Joseph had four children with girlfriend Darrelyn Smith, she told WVUE Fox 8.
“I don’t know what happened, but we want justice. We want justice, that’s it,” Smith said.
Force policy
Wednesday night’s shooting bears similarities to another drug bust that started just next door to the Terrytown IHOP and also ended in gunfire. Ryan Jackson, 29, was shot four times in his shoulder and arm when JPSO detectives fired into his vehicle at a Shell station, 101 West Bank Expressway, on April 4, 2017.
As with Joseph and Robertson, Jackson and his passenger, Lance Stevens, were the targets of an undercover drug investigation. Detectives who had been conducting surveillance on Jackson’s car said they shot at the vehicle when Jackson accelerated towards them as they approached, according to court records.
The wounded Jackson led deputies on a brief car chase before crashing into the bank of a drainage canal at Wright and Cedarwood avenues in Terrytown. Jackson was arrested and later charged with attempted first-degree murder of a police officer, aggravated assault of a police officer with a motor vehicle and drug possession.
Jackson filed a $5 million federal lawsuit accusing the detectives of using excessive and unnecessary force. The suit is on hold until the resolution of the criminal case, which is scheduled to head to trial Monday, according to court records. Neither Jackson’s criminal nor his civil attorney returned a request for comment.
The two cases highlight differences in the use-of-force policies used JPSO and New Orleans police. NOPD officers are barred from shooting at a moving vehicle when the only deadly threat is a vehicle moving toward an officer. Officers can’t fire unless there is a secondary threatening act such as someone in the vehicle pointing or firing a gun.
The policy in Jefferson Parish doesn’t requires a second layer of aggression. Deputies are allowed to shoot at a moving vehicle if doing so “is necessary for self-defense against deadly force from the car’s occupants.”
Though Lopinto did not comment about the policy on Thursday, sheriff’s officials, including his predecessors, have long held that a vehicle is a deadly weapon.
Laura McKnight and Rich Webster contributed to this story.
via nola.comhttps://www.nola.com
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