– Two Cops Face Murder Charges for Killing a 6-year-old:
Body cam footage “most disturbing thing I’ve seen,” says state police colonel
Two police officers in Louisiana are currently under arrest and facing murder charges after fatally shooting a six-year-old child inside of a car last week.
Louisiana State Police charged Marksville City Marshals Norris Greenhouse, 23, and Derrick Stafford, 32, with second degree murder in the death of Jeremy Mardis and attempted second degree murder for nearly killing his father.
Derrick Stafford, left, and Norris Greenhouse Jr., right | Louisiana State Police
The incident began last Tuesday night when 25-year-old Chris Few reportedly led four city marshals on a chase through Marksville with his son Jeremy sat in the passenger’s seat.
Few is speculated to have attempted to ram into patrol vehicles once he was cornered in at a dead-end, though state police have not confirmed this.
At that point, Greenhouse and Stafford reportedly fired at the vehicle, killing Mardis, who suffered from autism, and critically injuring his father.
6-year-old Jeremy Mardis
“That little boy was buckled in the front seat of that vehicle and that is how he died,” Louisiana State Police Col. Mike Edmonson described at a press conference Friday.
Edmonson said police interviewed witnesses and reviewed “disturbing” body camera footage prior to seeking an arrest warrant from a judge.
“As I told you we took some of the body camera’s footage,” Edmonson said. “Let me tell you something – I’m not gonna talk about it – but I’m going tell you this: it is the most disturbing thing I’ve seen, and I’ll leave it at that.”
“Jeremy Mardis, six years old, he didn’t deserve to die,” he stated.
Marksville Police Chief Elster Smith said Friday the four officers involved have been put on paid administrative leave.
The Washington Post reports Mardis is the youngest person killed in the US by police this year.