LSP Inquiry into Port Allen Motel Incident Involving WBRPSO Fatal Service Discharge

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Family: Port Allen man fatally shot by deputy wasn't inclined to violence: 'He didn't carry guns'

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La. State Police are investigating the Thursday night officer-involved fatal shooting by a West Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputy who discharged his weapon while executing a search warrant at a motel room. Family members confirmed he was 38-year-old Josef Richardson.

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The man was pronounced dead at the scene by the West Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office.

The family of a Port Allen man shot dead at a motel by a West Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputy describe him as a nonviolent person, but little other information has trickled out since Thursday night's fatal encounter.

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Richardson's mother, Maudess Douglas, told television station WBRZ on Thursday night that her son, a father of four, was not a violent person.

"He didn't carry guns," she said. "He didn't believe in guns."

Court records show Richardson had several past legal troubles, including convictions for battery of a police officer and resisting arrest in 2005.

Richardson had also been convicted of a handful of drug-related charges.

The most recent offense was in 2012 after he was convicted of selling cocaine and marijuana, according to court records. A parish judge sentenced him to five years in prison.

Family members on Friday requested privacy but told The Advocate they knew no other details outside of law enforcement accounts of the shooting.

Richardson's nephew told the station the family learned about the details of the shooting through news media posts on social media. 

On Thursday night, investigators had been going in and out a one-story wing of the motel where a piece of red fabric hung over the entry light hours after the shooting.

Authorities said deputies were serving a warrant at the motel when a deputy fired and struck a person. But they didn't provide details on what led to the shooting. A State Police spokesman didn't immediately return messages on Friday afternoon.

Dale Simoneaux, a spokesman for the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, said the agency placed the deputy who fired his gun on paid administrative leave, as well as other law officers who were at the motel.

Simoneaux declined to identify the deputy or what led to the shooting, citing the ongoing investigation by the State Police.

To avoid any possible conflict of interest, Sheriff's Office policies require an outside agency to review cases any time an officer uses deadly force, Simoneaux said.

“Everyone wants to know right away,” Simoneaux said. “We want to do our due diligence. It takes time

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