What prompted shooting by city marshals that left autistic boy dead?
The Louisiana state police are investigating a shooting involving city marshals that killed a 6-year-old boy and critically wounded his father. Christopher Few and his autistic son, Jeremy Mardis, were shot Tuesday after a chase in the central Louisiana town of Marksville. Jeremy was killed by bullets intended to stop his father.
The coroner in Avoyelles parish says he was initially told by a crash scene investigator that city marshals were pursuing the driver because of an outstanding warrant, but Louisiana state police say they cannot find any warrant for Few, reports CBS News' David Begnaud.
According to the Marksville Police Department, Few led four law enforcement officers on a short pursuit Tuesday night and stopped on a dead-end road.
"The initial statement to my investigators was that the vehicle was backing up, they feared for their lives and they started firing," said Col. Michael Edmonson, head of the Louisiana State Police, which is leading the investigation.
CBS News has learned that the law enforcement officers fired as many as 18 rounds at the SUV.
"There were a lot of shots fired that night and they were coming in one direction. There's nothing for us that indicates that any fire came from that SUV," Edmonson said. "There was no weapon found in that SUV."
Jeremy was hit by five bullets in the head and chest, killing him. His father was injured in the shooting and is hospitalized in critical condition.
Megan Dixon said she is engaged to Few. She claims they argued that night outside a local pool hall. Shortly after, she said Few stopped alongside her vehicle at a red light.
"Instead of me running him over, I just went around him and then I heard the sirens," Dixon said.
Dixon believes that interaction may be what caught the attention of the authorities, prompting police to pursue him.
"Why were they trying to pull Mr. Few over?" Begnaud asked Edmonson.
"Until we speak to those officers, we don't know," Edmonson said.
State investigators said they are looking for more information from the four law enforcement officers involved in the fatal shooting.
"I think the longer it takes for these officers to come forward and give us information, it's more concerning," Edmonson said. "Come forward and tell us what happened."
At least three of the officers involved work for the Marksville Police Department. One works for the city marshal's office.
At the time of the shooting, it's believed all four were working a side job for the city marshal, further complicating under whose authority these men were operating. We're told there is video from one of the officers, which may show events leading right up to the shooting.