Handcuffed Son Didn't Shoot Himself, Grieving Dad Insists

Victor White III's father disputes coroner's report, police statements
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 26, 2014 12:01 PM CDT
Handcuffed Son Didn't Shoot Himself, Grieving Dad Insists
Victor White Sr. is the father of Victor White III, who died in the custody of Iberia Parish sheriff's deputies.   (whirl400)

Louisiana State Police say Victor White III died after shooting himself while handcuffed in the back of a police car in March, an assertion backed up by the Iberia Parish coroner’s office, reports NBC News. But White’s family isn’t buying the suicide story—mainly, they say, because White had a new baby with his longtime girlfriend, a steady job, and possible college plans, and because details in the recently released coroner’s report contradict the police report. "You can't make me understand how my son took his left hand, when he was handcuffed behind the back, and shot himself," Rev. Victor White II tells NBC. "I don't believe a thing they’re saying at this point."

White and a friend were reportedly picked up by the police after reports of a fight outside a local gas station; the station manager says the two were inside the store when the fight broke out. Cops let White's friend go, but what happened next is where the story gets murky. A police statement said an "uncooperative," handcuffed White "produced a handgun" and shot himself in the back while in custody, even though cops said no weapon was found on White during two recorded searches before the shooting. The coroner agrees that White shot himself but says the 22-year-old was shot in the front, that there were scratches on White's face (the police said there was no physical altercation with officers), and that the bullet went through his right chest and out his left armpit—White's family says he was left-handed, making the suggested scenario hard for them to believe. Click for more details. (More handcuffed man stories.)

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