NOVANEWS
A man suspected of fatally shooting former NFL player Joe McKnight in a road rage incident near New Orleans was arrested Tuesday and charged with manslaughter six days after the murder and his confession Thursday, sparking outrage online as people charged the arrest was delayed because the suspect is white.
RELATED: ‘Do Not Resist’ Documentary Slams US Police Militarization
Ronald Gasser was charged with one count of manslaughter, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said at a news conference during which he criticized both men for “bad driving behavior and bad spoken words.” Ignoring the fact that only one man ended up dead.
The investigation was continuing, Normand said, leaving open the possibility of a charge such as murder or a lighter one depending on evidence presented.
Gasser was initially taken into custody after the shooting Thursday afternoon but released on Friday without being charged, angering members of the community, while the sheriff’s office continued its investigation.
McKnight, a Black man, was pronounced dead at a traffic intersection in Terrytown, after suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Leading up to the shooting, Gasser and McKnight shouted at each other and drove their vehicles erratically for several blocks before stopping at an intersection, Normand said.
McKnight then got out of his car and the two continued arguing until Gasser pulled a gun and shot McKnight three times, the sheriff said.
The investigation was delayed because witnesses were reluctant to come forward, Normand said, but people on social media argued that the fact that Gasser is white was a key factor in delaying the arrest.
RELATED: Black Lives Matter Mourns Fidel by Adopting His Vision
Some are comparing this case to another that took place in April 2016 under similar circumstances of a road rage shooting involving a former NFL player but a Black shooter.
Will Smith was shot dead in New Orleans where police within hours of the shooting arrested and charged Cardell Hayes, an African American, with second-degree murder. The shooting took place after a car crash and argument.
McKnight was a running back for the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs from 2010 through 2014.