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Thread: Death Penalty Off The Table For John Shallerhorn In 2021 LA Murder Of Police Officer Martinus Mitchum

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    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    Death Penalty Off The Table For John Shallerhorn In 2021 LA Murder Of Police Officer Martinus Mitchum

    B3C83B38-8E8A-432D-9592-07325C1CD702.jpg
    Officer Mitchum

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    Shallerhorn


    Man accused of killing Tulane police officer over mask mandate indicted for first-degree murder

    A New Orleans grand jury indicted a man accused of killing a police officer in February at a high school basketball game over an alleged mask mandate dispute, the District Attorney's office said.

    John Shallerhorn, who allegedly shot and killed police officer Martinus Mitchum outside of a basketball game at George Washington Carver High School in the Desire area, was indicted Wednesday for first degree murder and armed robbery with a firearm, authorities said.

    Prosecutors said Shallerhorn killed Mitchum because employees told him to put on a mask. Shallerhorn's alleged victim, Mitchum, was a Second City Court Reserve Constable and Tulane University Police Officer.

    Prosecutors said Mitchum was serving as security at the game when Shallerhorn was stopped by an employee for not wearing a mask. Shallerhorn was being escorted out by Mitchum when he fired two shots in his direction that resulted in Mitchum's death, authorities said.

    At a March hearing, attorneys for Shallerhorn prepared to build an insanity defense by noting that he was at one time committed to a psychiatric hospital. Shallerhorn could ultimately plead not guilty by reason of insanity, according to authorities.

    Mitchum’s shooting death was one of three significant interactions that Shallerhorn allegedly had with law enforcement that day.

    Earlier the morning of Mitchum's death, Shallerhorn was kicked out of Harrah's Casino for not wearing a face covering. Police gave him a ticket for trespassing when he refused to leave.

    About an hour before allegedly killing Mitchum, Shallerhorn asked two police officers to chat with him about "the spirit." Officers said they couldn't talk to him because they were responding to a 911 call and left the area.

    A policing analyst who reviewed the video of that encounter said the interaction might have been an ambush in the making, especially in light of Shallerhorn’s arrest an hour later.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nol...ba7d4.amp.html
    Last edited by Bobsicles; 06-25-2021 at 05:40 AM.
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    Suspect accused of killing deputy constable struck employee over game-entry protocol prior to fatal shooting
    March 1, 2021

    Officials continue to investigate the timeline surrounding the shooting death of a deputy constable in New Orleans Friday night.

    New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson held a news conference Monday where he described the incident in more detail.

    According to Ferguson, the suspect, John Shallerhorn, was trying to enter a basketball game at George Carver High School when an employee asked him to abide by game-entry protocol.

    Ferguson said Shallerhorn then struck the employee, which is when deputy constable and Tulane police officer Matinus Mitchum intervened.

    According to Ferguson, Mitchum was escorting Shallerhorn out of the building when Shallerhorn fired two shots. One of those shots struck Mitchum in the chest, killing him, according to Ferguson.

    Ferguson confirmed that Mitchum was not wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the incident.

    Ferguson said Shallerhorn walked outside, tossed his gun, and put his hands up and was quickly taken into custody by other law enforcement at the game.

    Ferguson would not confirm that the altercation was over a mask mandate. He said as of now motive remains unclear, and he is asking other witnesses of the incident to come forward.

    Right before the shooting, Shallerhorn was accused of committing an armed robbery, according to the NOPD.

    A victim was sitting inside his vehicle in the parking lot of the school when he was approached by the suspect, identified as Shallerhorn, according to reports.

    Shallerhorn allegedly raised his shirt and brandished a gun while demanding the victim's medallion chain. The victim complied, the NOPD said.

    Police say Shallerhorn was arrested for armed robbery and first-degree murder of a police officer.

    Tulane issued a statement on Saturday:

    "We are deeply saddened by the senseless and tragic death of TUPD Corporal Martinus Mitchum. Corporal Mitchum was a dedicated police professional who had a heart of service for the Tulane community. We have reached out to his family and are providing support to his fellow officers during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and with all the fellow officers with whom he served."

    https://www.wdsu.com/article/officia...table/35681640
    Last edited by Bobsicles; 06-25-2021 at 05:38 AM.
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

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    Tulane officer's accused killer says being called 'boy' set him off before fatal shooting

    March 20, 2021

    A policeman’s admitted killer told authorities he didn’t realize the victim, who was ejecting him from a New Orleans high school gymnasium during a basketball game, was a law enforcement officer. Instead, he said he fired his gun out of fear for his life after fighting with a school employee who called him “boy,” a detective testified.

    In the same hearing, however, attorneys for John Shallerhorn, who is accused of murdering officer Martinus Mitchum, continued to build an insanity defense by establishing that he was once committed to a psychiatric hospital.

    The two explanations were key parts of a preliminary hearing on Thursday, when the lead New Orleans Police Department homicide investigator disclosed new details about the Feb. 26 killing.

    After his arrest that evening, Shallerhorn told police he had been trying to enter the George Washington Carver High gym for a playoff basketball game against Warren Easton Charter High when a campus employee, checking attendees for face coverings to limit the spread of coronavirus, referred to him as "boy," detective Walter Edmond testified. The worker, when questioned by police, denied using the word.

    Many Black men find the word “boy” offensive when it is used to address them. Edmond said Shallerhorn, who is Black, told investigators that the term “upset” him and that he struck the employee in the face to retaliate.

    Mitchum, a Tulane University officer who was providing security at the game, arrived to escort Shallerhorn from the campus. Though Mitchum was in uniform and wore a badge, Shallerhorn said he he had no idea Mitchum was a police officer when Mitchum grabbed him. Shallerhorn, 35, said he pulled a gun from his waistband and shot Mitchum, 38, in the chest because he thought his life was in danger.

    “It was me or him,” Shallerhorn said, according to Edmond’s testimony, which the detective gave while being questioned by one of Shallerhorn’s attorneys, Mariah Holder.

    Edmond said Shallerhorn placed his gun on some nearby stairs and surrendered to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies who rushed up to arrest him. He also confessed to flashing his gun earlier in the evening to a man sitting in a car in the school parking lot with children and robbing the man of a medallion simply because he “liked” the chain holding the jewelry.

    Holder repeatedly asked Edmond about Shallerhorn’s demeanor while interacting with police on the night of the killing and whether it seemed normal.

    Edmond insisted that nothing about Shallerhorn struck him as odd. But he also conceded that the suspect’s relatives later told police Shallerhorn had “mental issues” and had been psychiatrically committed.

    Holder’s co-counsel, William Boggs, asked Jonathan Friedman, the magistrate overseeing the virtual hearing, to note Shallerhorn’s behavior. Shallerhorn, whose voice was muted during the court hearing, shook his head emphatically, yawned dramatically and spoke to himself throughout the proceeding. He shrugged his shoulders quickly, contorted his face in surprise, looked around impatiently, paced and even laughed.

    Boggs said it seemed to him that Shallerhorn was “confused” about what was happening, which could have implications on determining whether Shallerhorn is mentally fit to stand trial.

    Prosecutors have not yet filed charges against Shallerhorn, whom police booked with first-degree murder and armed robbery, so he hasn’t entered a plea in the case. But Holder’s questions and Boggs’ remarks to Friedman suggest that Shallerhorn could ultimately plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

    If Shallerhorn is convicted of murdering Mitchum, an act captured on school surveillance video, he faces life in prison. District Attorney Jason Williams’ office has already indicated it will not seek the death penalty.

    At the end of Thursday’s hearing, Friedman found probable cause to keep Shallerhorn in jail without bond.

    Mitchum’s shooting death was one of three significant interactions that Shallerhorn had with law enforcement that day.

    Early that morning, Shallerhorn was kicked out of Harrah’s Casino for refusing to comply with a rule requiring patrons to wear face coverings. Shallerhorn resisted leaving, saying on video that mask requirements were “discrimination,” and police issued him a citation for trespassing.

    Then, roughly an hour before Mitchum was killed, Shallerhorn flagged down two New Orleans police officers and asked them to accompany him to his car or nearby home to chat with him about “the spirit,” which the officers interpreted as a reference to Jesus Christ.

    The officers said they couldn’t speak with him because they were responding to a 911 call and left. It is unclear whether Shallerhorn was armed, though a body-worn camera video of the encounter showed he had a shiny black object bulging from his waistband. A policing analyst who reviewed the video said the encounter might have been an ambush in the making, especially in light of Shallerhorn’s arrest an hour later.

    https://www.nola.com/news/crime_poli...21967845f.html
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

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