Man Charged with Manslaughter in Road Rage Death of Ex-NFLer Joe McKnight

[lawildcat]

Man accused of killing ex-Jets player Joe McKnight charged - NY Daily News

 

The Louisiana driver accused of killing former Jets player Joe McKnight has been booked for manslaughter — days after he dodged charges immediately after the road rage shooting.

 

Jefferson Parish online inmate records showed that Ronald Gasser was jailed on one count on manslaughter Tuesday morning. The New Orleans Advocate first reported news of his booking.

 

Gasser, 54, was questioned but not charged after the Thursday shooting, sparking outrage. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand defended the lack of charges Friday.

 

“Everyone should pause and reflect and recognize that a rush to judgment does not equal anything,” Normand said. “The easiest thing for me would have been, ‘Book ‘em, Danno’ … But the fact of the matter is in trying to flesh out these details ... we chose not to do that.”

 

McKnight was shot and killed Thursday afternoon outside of his car in Terrytown, a suburb of New Orleans, after he and Gasser got into a fight while they were driving, police said.

 

The argument — allegedly sparked after one of the drivers cut the other off — lasted for several blocks until McKnight pulled over and got out of his car.

 

Gasser fired at McKnight at least three times from inside his own car, police said. McKnight was shot in the chest, shoulder and hand.

 

Gasser stayed seated in his car as medics on the scene tried to revive the 28-year-old former football player. When police arrived, Gasser confessed to killing the other driver, police said.

 

Outrage over officials’ initial refusal to charge Gasser grew when records showed that he had another road-rage incident a decade ago — at the very same intersection where McKnight died.

 

In February 2006, Gasser followed a man who complained about his driving at a gas station, and then punched him several times in the face. Gasser was charged with simple battery, but the case was later dismissed. It’s unclear why those charges were dropped.

 

McKnight, a Louisiana native, was drafted by the Jets as a running back in 2010. He later signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, but retired from the NFL in 2014 after suffering a Achilles tendon injury.

 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

[SnottieDrippen]

Was it McKnight who dropped the weights on his throat before his rookie year?

[lawildcat]

Addition to the story is below.

 

 

Man who killed ex-Jet Joe McKnight charged with manslaughter - NY Daily News

 

The Louisiana driver who shot and killed former New York Jets player Joe McKnight has been booked for manslaughter — after he went without charges immediately after the road rage shooting.

 

Ronald Gasser was arrested on one count on manslaughter, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand announced Tuesday morning, during an emotional, rant-filled press conference where he scolded protestors who demanded an earlier arrest.

 

Gasser, 54, was questioned but not charged after the Thursday shooting, sparking outrage in Louisiana and across the country. On Tuesday, Normand defended his office's move to charge Gasser later rather than sooner.

 

“Justice has no time period," he said. "Justice is not a sprint. It is a marathon. These investigators are marathons.”

 

Then, Normand cut into his critics.

 

“If people don’t think that we know what we’re doing strategically: Tough. I don’t care,” Normand said. "I can put my head on the pillow every night knowing that we did the right thing for the right reasons.”

 

Activists who believed police were not acting fast enough lashed out at anyone who encouraged the public to give investigators time and not jump to conclusions, including several lawmakers and pastors who asked for pause, Normed said. He blamed those protestors for "tearing" the community apart.

 

“We collectively should be ashamed of ourselves,” he barked, slamming his hand on the podium. “It’s not about the right thing; It’s not about justice and it’s not about the process. It’s about what we want, and what we want now. And we don’t care who we disparage in the process.”

 

He went on to read profane online threats made against the politicians and leaders who spoke in support of police’s extended investigation.

 

“That’s the tone of what we’re calling our elected leaders?” he asked after rattling off the obscene comments. “Really? And the tone of these go on and on and on and on and on and all we simply asked for was let them do their jobs.”

 

Normand defend the Tuesday arrest, saying that more witnesses came forward over the weekend — people who likely would not have gone to police if they knew a suspect was already in custody — and their accounts helped prosecutors build a strong case against Gasser.

 

“Our arrest is only as good as the prosecution,” he said. “We accomplish nothing if we make an arrested and we can’t put ourselves in the best posture … to reach a successful prosecution.”

[00Rocket28]

Was it McKnight who dropped the weights on his throat before his rookie year?

 

Yea

[Clyde]

I'd be curious to know what evidence the DA has.