Jury convicts one ex-officer, acquits another in shooting

GRETNA, La. — A Louisiana jury has convicted one former law enforcement officer and acquitted another in the 2022 shooting death of a man who was sitting in an SUV outside a house reputed for illegal drug activity.

Issac Hughes, who was convicted Friday, and Johnathan Louis, who was acquitted, were Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies when Daniel Vallee, 34, was killed in the New Orleans suburb of Marrero.

Police body camera footage showed that after a 15-minute confrontation, Vallee’s last words to officers were, “Please, put the guns down.”

Hughes and Louis were each indicted on a manslaughter charge with a possible 40-year sentence. Hughes faces up to five years in prison after jurors convicted him on the lesser charge of negligent homicide.

The two were among five deputies responding to a noise complaint in the early hours of Feb. 16, 2022. Sheriff Joe Lopinto said Vallee was in a vehicle outside a suspected drug house and refused to get out when instructed by the deputies, WVUE-TV reported.

Defense attorneys said Hughes and Louis acted in self-defense because Vallee dropped his hands out of sight multiple times, even as officers commanded him to keep them visible. Attorneys said the two officers believed Vallee might “weaponize” his vehicle.

Prosecutors said deputies had opportunities to de-escalate. They said another deputy never fired his weapon but kept it at a “low ready” position, indicating other officers did not perceive an imminent threat.