Man who shot ex-NFL player charged with manslaughter

54-year old Ronald Gasser will be charged with manslaughter after shooting former USC and New York Jets running back Joe McKnight three times, killing the 28-year old.

Local law enforcement had last week triggered outrage after Gasser, who was arrested at the scene of the shooting and confessed to shooting McKnight, had been released on bail.

Normand opened his news conference Monday with a lengthy and passionate defense of the time it took to charge Gasser, at one point reading off emails and messages in which authorities and elected officials were called profane and derogatory terms.

To NBC Sports writer Mike Florio, Normand’s press conference suggests that someone else should handle the McKnight case moving forward.

“People don’t think that we know what we’re doing strategically … tough”. “Justice is not a sprint”. The sheriff’s office came under fire for that decision, but Sheriff Normand had some strong words for the critics at Tuesday’s.

Normand says one of the initial witnesses investigators spoke to told them a false story and that it took deputies having to track down people using their license plate numbers, who were captured on nearby surveillance video, to get an accurate account of what really happened.

Police investigate the shooting scene on December 1 in Terrytown, La. In addition, he gave consent to a search of his home. He said initial witness reports had been misleading, and said that what he considers a key witness was not spoken to until Saturday.

“Shame on that individual”, Normand said.

Gasser sat passively by his auto as bystanders worked to revive McKnight, Sheriff Newell Normand said last week. “We may get additional evidence that may allow the [district attorney] to up charge or. down charge”.

Gasser said in his witness statement that being cut off angered him and he pursued McKnight. McKnight was not in his SUV at the time of the shooting, but was standing over the vehicle Gasser was in.

At some point, Normand said, McKnight got out of his auto and continued the argument while leaning down see eye-to-eye with Gasser, who was in the driver’s seat of an Infiniti sedan. Authorities have said they are trying to determine why it was dismissed.

Gasser has previously been involved in similar road rage incidents.

McKnight played for four years in the National Football League with the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs.

[In] February 2006, a man observed a truck driving erratically and called a number on the truck, speaking to a man later identified as Gasser.

Normand said he was unwilling to go into details about Gasser’s statement to police, but that it was “replete” with fear over threats that McKnight made toward him. With their windows down, the verbal altercation continued until McKnight exited his vehicle.

In particular, Normand thanked a group of ministers who held a press conference last Friday evening at Hosanna Fellowship in Gretna, specifically calling for any would-be protesters to stand down while the investigation is underway. Law experts say it’s not a blanket excuse.