Many appeared to still be in disbelief as they entered the doors of the Moore Funeral Chapel in Hattiesburg to say goodbye to six-year-old Jeremy Mardis.
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Jeremy Mardis was fatally shot by two Louisiana police officers in Marksville on Tuesday as they pursued the boy’s father Chris Few. The two officers have been arrested on charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.
The officers, 32-year-old Derrick Stafford of Mansura and 23-year-old Derrick Greenhouse Jr., of Marksville each is charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.
Saturday and Sunday – National and worldwide media outlets started discussing the shooting and investigation. Chris Few was being chased on the night of November 3 by Marksville city Ward 2 deputy marshals when he was cornered at the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Taensas Street in Marksville.
Norris Greenhouse Jr. and Derrick Stafford, who are charged with murder in the shooting death of Jeremy Davis Mardis, work for the Alexandria city marshal’s office – Greenhouse as a full-time deputy marshal and Stafford on a part-time basis. No gun was found on the scene, he added, and the boy had died while still buckled into the front seat of the vehicle.
Mark Jeansonne, Few’s attorney, asserted that his client had his hands up and was not a threat to officers, citing their body camera footage as evidence, according to the Associated Press. The bonds for Stafford and Greenhouse have been set at $1 million a piece.
Few’s stepfather, Morris German, said Jeremy had been diagnosed with autism.
An FBI spokesman says federal authorities are in “constant communication” with state investigators about last week’s shooting.
Both men were working as Marksville city marshals, but also work for other law enforcement agencies.
Chief Edmonson has seen the footage from the police body camera.
On Saturday, the Free Thought Project reported on the brutal and criminal history of officers Stafford and Greenhouse.
The parish coroner said earlier this week that the officers were serving a warrant on Few when he fled, but Edmonson later said he had no information about a warrant. The assistant principle at Mardis’ school, Anita Bonnette, described him as “a very sweet loving little boy who enjoyed being at school and enjoyed his friends”.
“This was not a threatening situation for the police”, Jeansonne said.
Now it has emerged Norris Greenhouse, who was a school classmate of Chris Few, had allegedly had a recent run-in with him before the shooting which happened at 9.30pm last Tuesday.
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When Edmonson was asked whether he anticipated any more arrests, he said: ‘We’ll see where it takes us’.
