ACLU of La. sues 2 police agencies over fatal shooting

By Piper Hutchinson
Contributing Writer

(lailluminator.com) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana is suing Louisiana State Police and East Jefferson Levee District Police Department for fatally shooting a man 24 times.

Jabari Asante-Chioke, 52, of LaPlace was killed a year ago in Metairie. According to news reports, a passerby saw him in distress, walking along a highway, carrying what was later determined to be a gun and a knife. The motorist waved down a nearby police officer.

In a press release issued Tuesday morning, the ACLU said that the slaying amounted to a “firing squad” and was an unjustifiably excessive use of fatal force. The ACLU said that many of the shots struck Asante-Chioke after he was disarmed and heavily wounded.

“Mr. Asante-Chioke was slaughtered by ill-trained, ill-disciplined, and ill-supervised officers,” said ACLU of Louisiana Legal Director Nora Ahmed. “His unfortunate death is yet another representation of the failure of law enforcement agencies to use appropriate de-escalation techniques when encountering people of color who are suffering from severe mental illness.”

Asante-Chioke’s daughter, Malikah Asante-Chioke, lamented that most victims of police brutality will not have their stories told.

“The reality is that every victim should have their name heard and their story told, but the lack of extensive media coverage of all police killings spreads the illusion worldwide that police brutality in this nation is an anomaly,” Malikah Asante-Chioke said. “We know that instead, it is the rule, and a source of fear, death, and anguish for communities of color and Black people in particular.”

The case, which was filed in the Eastern District Court of Louisiana, brings excessive force, wrongful death, and negligence claims against the officers, as well as a negligent supervision and training claim against the Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Lamar. Davis, Levee District Police Chief Robert Garner and the state of Louisiana.

This is the seventh time in two years that the ACLU of Louisiana has sued state police. The group has filed nearly 50 suits against law enforcement agencies statewide in that same period.

State Police and the East Jefferson Levee District did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

This article originally published in the December 5, 2022 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.