Funeral service planned for boy killed in marshals’ shooting

Family and friends will say goodbye today to a 6-year-old autistic boy who was killed while police in Louisiana were chasing his father. Jeremy Mardis died in the shooting and his father, Chris Few, was wounded.

The shooting followed a chase, but there has been no word on what touched off the pursuit.

The boy’s dad Chris Few was also shot by the officers, and is in critical condition, according to CNN. Edmonson identified the two as Norris Greenhouse Jr. and Derrick Stafford. Both were working secondary jobs in Marksville as marshals when the shooting happened, Edmonson said.

The officers arrested were Norris Greenhouse Jr., 23, and Derrick Stafford, 32. Stafford is a lieutenant with the Marksville police; Greenhouse is a full-time marshal in the nearby city of Alexandria. Now Louisiana State Police are taking action after arrests were made Friday night. His funeral will be held on Monday. “He didn’t deserve to die like that”, Edmonson said. Greenhouse allegedly knew Few, a factor that will also be looked at further during the investigation.

The two officers first told officials that Few tried to back up his auto and leave the scene, but the police vehicle was reported to have sustained only minor damage.

Jeremy Mardis will be laid to rest in Hattiesburg, MS, on Monday, November 9.

The calls or footages have not been released, but during a press conference, Edmonson described the footage from the body camera as the most disturbing that he had ever seen.

In an affidavit included in the lawsuit, Stafford says that Fridge was not allowed to carry a firearm in areas where alcohol was sold and that officers “were in fear” that he would “draw” his gun. It is still unclear why Few was being pursued by law enforcement and whether the marshals even had the legal jurisdiction to do so, the site notes. “I mean, as a father, much less head of there state police, I looked at that tape, I said this is incredibly disturbing”.

Col. Mike Edmonson said that there was no weapon found in the SUV or any indication that shots were fired from that vehicle.