White Louisiana police officer arrested after fatal shooting of unarmed Black man
A white Louisiana officer was arrested Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man who was trying to flee police responding to a domestic disturbance call earlier this month, authorities said.
After reviewing evidence and footage from officers’ body-worn cameras, state troopers arrested Shreveport Police Officer Alexander Tyler, 23, on suspicion of negligent homicide in the death of Alonzo Bagley, 43.
Louisiana State Police on Thursday released body-cam footage of the fatal encounter as well as audio from the 911 recording reporting the initial disturbance.
Officers responded to the disturbance about 10:50 p.m. on Feb. 3 in Shreveport, in northwest Louisiana. In the 911 call, a person who identified herself as Bagley’s wife said her husband was “loaded on something” and threatening her and her daughter.
Tyler and another unidentified officer arrived at the apartment, where Bagley opened the door holding a glass bottle with brown liquid. Bagley said that he had to put away his dog, walked to the back of the apartment onto a balcony, jumped to the ground outside and ran. The officers then began chasing him.
“Upon rounding a corner of the building, Officer Tyler observed Mr. Bagley and fired one shot from his service weapon, which struck Mr. Bagley in the chest,” Col. Lamar Davis, the superintendent of Louisiana State Police, said at a news conference earlier this month.
Officials say a sixth Memphis officer was fired Friday after an internal police investigation showed he violated multiple department policies in Tyre Nichols’ violent arrest.
In the video, Bagley can be heard saying, “Oh, God, you shot me,” as he slumped to the ground.
The officers immediately rendered aid as one of the men — it is unclear which — said, “No. No. Sir. Sir. Hey. Hey. Hey. No. No.”
After the shooting, Tyler made “multiple statements claiming the suspect came toward him and he could not see his hands,” according to court documents by state police. Investigators did not find any weapons in Bagley’s possession.
Tyler, who has been with the Shreveport Police Department since May 2021, is on paid administrative leave, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said Thursday. Smith said that, to his knowledge, Tyler had been involved in one policy violation in which there was “violence to a suspect,” but did not elaborate.
A Memphis police officer took photos of a beaten and bloodied Tyre Nichols, then sent them to colleagues and a female acquaintance, documents say.
It was not immediately clear whether Tyler had hired an attorney, but as of Thursday afternoon he was released on a $25,000 bond. In Louisiana, a negligent-homicide charge carries a prison sentence of up to five years upon conviction.
Bagley’s family members have filed a $10-million lawsuit against Tyler.
“The lethal force used against Mr. Bagley was unjustified, unreasonable, excessive, and in violation of Mr. Bagley’s rights under the United States Constitution and the laws of the State of Louisiana,” the lawsuit said, which was filed by Bagley’s wife, mother and stepdaughter.
The family has hired attorney Ronald Haley, who has represented other high-profile clients, including the family of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist whose 2019 death in state police custody in north Louisiana prompted lawsuits and criminal charges against law enforcement officers.
The indictment of five Louisiana officers in the lethal 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene came after long-suppressed body-cam video was made public.
At a news conference Thursday with some of Bagley’s relatives, Haley said the fact that Bagley fled from police should not lead to a “death sentence.”
“Flight does not mean shoot-to-kill,” Haley said. “Flight does not mean you are the judge, jury and executioner, and that’s what happened. ... It is an incident that we see far too often in the state. It’s an incident that we see far too often around this country.”
During the news conference, Xavier Sudds said he hoped his brother’s death “means something.” Louisiana has had multiple high-profile fatal police shootings — including the ones involving Greene and Alton Sterling, a Black man who was shot and killed by an officer outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge after being wrestled to the ground.
“I appreciate everybody’s condolences and prayers, but none of that compares to the pain that I’m feeling, the pain that my mom is feeling. … That’s going to linger for a while, for a long time,” Sudds said.
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