Louisiana Police Officers Charged With Murder of 6-Year-Old Boy

Six-year-old Jeremy David Mardis died around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday after the vehicle driven by his father, Chris Few, had been chased by the marshals.

Earlier, officials said the marshals were chasing the father to serve him a warrant but Edmonson did not indicate what triggered the incident. 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.

7 that the head of the Louisiana State Police Col. Mike Edmonson said this is the most disturbing thing that he’s ever seen.

Two Louisiana cops were arrested Friday night for the shooting death of a 6-year-old autistic boy who was riding in a vehicle with his father.

“He didn’t deserve to die like that”, saying the police badge had been “tarnished”. “We were told they were perusing a vehicle with a warrant, we never found a warrant.” Said Colonel Edmonson.

23, were arrested Friday night.

When asked about why the police would have been chasing Few, whom residents said had no criminal record with the state, several residents suggested an argument that had taken place between Few and Jeremy’s mother.

“Nothing is more important than this badge that we are wearing on our uniform”, Edmonson said. Stafford is a lieutenant with the Marksville Police Department.

Marksville Police Chief Elster Smith Jr. could not be reached for comment Wednesday, as he spent the entire day on the scene of another major – though entirely unrelated – emergency in the small city of 5,700 that is also the parish seat.

Lafayette TV station KATC dug into the court records of both accused officers, finding that Stafford was indicted in October 2011 on two counts of aggravated rape; the case was later resolved.

Two other marshals may also have been involved in the incident, Edmonson said. Mardis was fatally shot five times in his head and chest.

Trooper Daniel “Scott” Moreau said it wasn’t yet clear if there was a weapon inside Few’s auto or if anyone besides the ward marshals had fired during the confrontation. As a gun rights advocate, he says he was exercising his right to bear arms while passing out information on the Libertarian party. “I will leave it at that”.

“Justice has been done tonight”, Edmonson said.

Avoyelles Parish District Attorney Charles A. Riddle III offered his “sympathy and prayers” Friday night to Jeremy’s family and said that his office would recuse itself as soon as possible because of a relationship between one of the deputy marshals and an assistant district attorney in Riddle’s office.