A Louisiana law enforcement officer who was convicted Friday of manslaughter wept as he was shown photographs of the six-year-old autistic boy he shot dead.
Derrick Stafford, a 33-year-old former Marksville police officer and part-time city marshal, left the courthouse in shackles after the jury returned to the courtroom to announce their verdict by a 10-2 vote following nearly three hours of deliberation.
Jurors found Derrick Stafford guilty of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter charges, multiple news outlets reported. He had faced charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in the case.
Stafford, 33, and another deputy city marshal opened fire on a car – killing Jeremy Mardis and critically wounding his father – after a two-mile (three-kilometer) car chase in Marksville on the night of November 3, 2015.
Video from a police officer’s body camera shows the father, Christopher Few, had his hands raised inside his vehicle while the two deputies collectively fired 18 shots.
At least four of those bullets hit Jeremy, who died within minutes.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said in a statement that his office is happy with the verdict.
Stafford’s sentencing is set for next week.
The Advocate reports that Stafford testified Friday that he shot at the car because he feared Few was going to back up and hit the other deputy, Norris Greenhouse Jr.
‘I felt I had no choice but to save Norris. That is the only reason I fired my weapon,’ Stafford said.
Greenhouse, 25, faces a separate trial on murder charges later this year.
You can watch the video footage of the incident below.
