Shooting death of Louisiana boy, 6, in police chase probed

Louisiana officials Thursday were investigating the death of a 6-yearold boy who was killed after police fired on a car driven by his father during a chase.

Louisiana State Police said in a statement that the shooting occurred as marshals in the city of Marksville were pursuing a vehicle Tuesday night driven by a man and carrying a passenger. The marshals opened fire at the end of the pursuit and both the driver and the passenger were struck, said a state police spokesman, Scott Moreau. The statement, issued Wednesday, said the driver was in critical condition.

Moreau declined to confirm or discuss other details of the shooting. But the coroner of Avoyelles Parish, Dr. L.J. Mayeux, said officers had been trying to serve a warrant on the man, Chris Few, who was in the vehicle with his son, Jeremy Mardis, when the chase began. The coroner said Few reached a dead end street, and was backing into the marshals when they fired.

The coroner said in a telephone interview that the boy was struck several times in the head and chest.

Moreau, the police spokesman, said it was too soon to know how the boy was shot. “We cannot say 100 percent that it is the bullets from their guns that hit the child until we do the ballistics tests,” he said, referring to the marshals. “We cannot say with 100 percent certainty.”

It was not immediately clear what type of warrant the marshals were trying to serve. Investigators from the Louisiana State Police were expected to interview the marshals who were involved Thursday, or possibly Friday, Moreau said. Marksville, a city of about 5,500, is southeast of Alexandria.

“This is a sensitive case and we are going to take our time,” Moreau said.

“We have not had a chance to interview the officers in depth; the only thing we were able to do was get a public safety statement from them,” Moreau said. He said the other priority in the immediate aftermath of the shooting had been to preserve evidence at the scene.

WAFB in Louisiana reported that the child was autistic. “Jeremy was a special gift from God,” it quoted Jeremy’s grandmother, who was not identified, as saying. “He was always smiling, always happy. He was diagnosed with autism when he was 2. He loved everyone he met and they loved him. As far as what caused his death, the only thing I have been told is he died from gunshot wounds. He didn’t deserve what happened. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

On his Facebook page, Few has photos of himself with his son. “Every moment is precious,” he wrote.