LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — The attorney for the family of Trayford Pellerin says the case will go before a grand jury within a few weeks.
Ronald Haley says District Attorney Don Landry met with the family Wednesday.
Haley says he’s frustrated, not with the district attorney’s office, but with the Lafayette Police Department for not releasing the body cam footage to the public.
“We have cases all over this state where we see the same movie where something happens but yet somehow the evidence for public consumption is somehow suppressed,” Haley stated.
After announcing the conclusion of the investigation by state police, Haley recited a case where he says a delayed arrest and a civil lawsuit had to be filed for a semblance of justice to be handed down.
Haley explains why he questions the state police investigation.
“If this is the department that’s investigating these wrongful shooting cases, I think the public needs to take that for a grain of salt when they say something is justified. Plus, they have a hard time investigating themselves,” Haley added.
Haley explains he hopes the finding of state police won’t be the only evidence presented to the Grand Jury by the district’s top prosecutor .
“I can site personal cases that I’m the attorney of record for a client trying to get justice for somebody that has been wrongfully shot by the police department and they will take a state police investigation and sometimes not even go to the grand jury and use that as as a way to sweep something under the rug,” Haley explained.
“We’ve been assured that is not the case here with this district attorney’s office,” Haley said.
Last year, Trayford Pellerin, 31 of Lafayette was shot by police reportedly responding to a disturbance of a man with knife.
Also, the federal wrongful death filed by family last year is pending the outcome of the case.