SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) -
There's new and conflicting information about the man accused of shooting his former girlfriend in the stomach this week before getting shot to death by police. We hear more from Elijah Haggerty's uncle, who described the shooter as a budding preacher who didn't deserve to die.
"He's a good kid. He's smart. You know, he played football at Woodlawn," said Gerry Paul. He still refers to his nephew, 31 year old Elijah Haggerty, in present tense even after his death. Police say Haggerty shot his former girlfriend, 28 year old Jolette Frazier, in the belly at her home at 9218 Cade Drive on Wednesday (8/08/12) night in Shreveport.
Investigators say Haggerty later leveled a shotgun at officers once they entered the house, leading officers to shoot and kill him. Paul said, "You shot him in the forehead and to me you went in with the intent to kill him and that's what you did. And then you shot him two more times."
With Paul asking the question why his nephew had to be shot three times, we decided to talk with Shreveport Police Department's tactical training officers to get their perspective on what happens when officers go through a front door like the one on Cade Drive Wednesday night. Instructor Cpl. Rodney Horton explained, "We teach the officers (that) they continue to use whatever force is necessary until it's no longer a threat."
Cpl. Horton works at the Shreveport Police Academy and says the department goes beyond the Louisiana state requirement that officers must qualify once every 13 months with their handgun. "Qualification takes 15 minutes, sixty rounds. But every single year we put our officers through eight hours of use-of-force, through eight hours of scenario-based training. They go through eight hours of defensive tactics training."
But for Haggerty's uncle that's all of little consolation, claiming the deck was stacked against his nephew when police came through the front door. "I'm angry, I'm disappointed in this here justice system that they got because they've been doing this here for years and getting away with it," concluded Paul.
Police say they're still investigating exactly how many rounds were fired by officers at Haggerty, once he reportedly pointed that shotgun at them. Meanwhile, shooting victim Jolette Frazier is listed in critical condition at LSU Hospital. And, the internal investigation of the three officers involved in the case, which is standard procedure, continues.
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