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Lafayette police officers shoot man multiple times on Evangeline Thruway, Internet asks 'when will this end?'

Police confirmed that the incident was an officer-involved alleged shooting in the 2000 block of NW Evangeline Thruway near I-10

LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA: On August 21, police confirmed that one person was shot allegedly by police officers in north Lafayette. According to a KATC report, police confirmed that the incident was an officer-involved alleged shooting in the 2000 block of NW Evangeline Thruway near I-10.

A Daily Advertiser report states that a video surfaced on social media and it claimed that a Black man in a white t-shirt and dark pants being shot outside a Shell/Circle K gas station on Northeast Evangeline Thruway in Lafayette Friday night. The report further states that the video footage is not confirmed or verified.

The Daily Advertiser reports that officers were responding to a call regarding a disturbance at the Circle K gas station on Northeast Evangeline Thruway near the intersection of Castille Avenue, said Louisiana State Police spokesman Trooper Derek Senegal.

The report further states that, while pursued by officers, the suspect had walked about half a mile to the Shell gas station on Northeast Evangeline Thruway at the intersection of Chalmette Drive, as per Senegal. However, Senegal did not divulge any details about whether the suspect had a weapon or not and what the man’s current condition is.

Interim Police Chief Scott Morgan said that at least one police officers had fired shots. According to the report, the officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave with pay until further investigation. The report adds that this is the third officer-involved shooting for the Lafayette Police Department in five weeks.

Lafayette police asked Louisiana State Police to conduct an investigation.
Morgan is quoted as saying, "We expect to do whatever we can as far as transparency goes. Please understand we are not trying to not give out information. All information has to be verified before we give information out. Part of being transparent is also to get it right." 

Twitter was soon buzzing about this incident. Allegations against the police were widespread on social media. One user alleged, "A Black man was shot to death by police officers in Lafayette, Louisiana. he was carrying a knife, but that is in no fucking way a justification to put 10 fucking bullets into him. do not stay quiet about this. when will it end?."

Another accused, "Police in Lafayette failed to do their job tonight. Murder is a felony and they should be charged. Yes, the man had a but he wasn’t a threat he was walking away. He may have been mentally ill you don’t know. He needed to be disbarred n arrested not murdered!!!!!"

One angry user alleged, "Lafayette police just straight up shot a guy and are acting like it's a shock to them this happened."

Another angry user alleged, "This happened tonight in Lafayette, Louisiana. A Black man with just a pocket knife not bothering anyone or resisting arrest tased and shot to death for no reason. When are y’all gonna wake up and realize our lives matter also#BlackLivesMatter #BLM #Lafayette."

Another said, "There was absolutely no need to murder that man in lafayette. 7 cops vs 1 man with a knife???? he could have easily been stopped instead of MURDERED. and i promise u if he was white those cops would’ve done everything in their power to stop & arrest him. acab."

One commented, "So... Another Black man gunned down by the police, this time in Lafayette, Louisiana. Way too many gunshots sounded off. Even if he had a knife, he was walking away."

MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) cannot independently verify and does not support any claims being made on the Internet