A Louisiana man was shot dead by an East Feliciana Parish deputy who responded to a burglary call at a Texaco gas station early Monday.
The family of Christopher Whitfield, 31, say he had a history of mental illness and he fled from the cops because he had previous trouble with the law.
The store’s owner, Danny Williams, said Whitfield broke into a cooler and stole a box of raw chicken before fleeing the store.
East Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Greg Phares confirmed the deputy encountered Whitfield behind the gas station and shot him, according to The Advocate.
Whitfield had a previous arrest in 2010 for breaking into the same store.
Phares declined to say if Whitfield was armed with a weapon.
Myrtle Jackson described her grandson as a nice person who didn’t carry guns.
“I don’t think he should have been shot,” she said.
Whitfield’s death is the latest fatal shooting of an unarmed Black person by white police officers.
Atatiana Jefferson, 28, of Fort Worth, Texas, was shot and killed by a cop when she looked out her bedroom window after hearing a prowler in her back yard early Saturday.
The cop, 34-year-old Aaron Dean, was arrested and charged with murder hours after he tendered his resignation. He was also dishonorably discharged from the police force.
