Man Cops Say Killed Ex-NFLer Released Without Charges

Joe McKnight was shot and killed in a road rage incident Thursday
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 3, 2016 11:34 AM CST
Man Cops Say Killed Ex-NFLer Released Without Charges
FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2011, file photo, New York Jets running back Joe McKnight (25) runs during an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos in Denver.   (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)

The 54-year-old man police say killed a former NFL player during a road rage incident Thursday in Louisiana had been arrested and charged for a road rage incident at the exact same intersection 10 years ago, USA Today reports. In 2006, a man saw a truck driving unsafely and called the number on the back of the truck to report it. Ronald Gasser, the driver, answered the phone, got into an argument with the man, and followed him to a gas station, where he allegedly attacked him. Assault charges against Gasser were dismissed, and according to NBC Sports, the sheriff's office isn't sure why. This time, Gasser may not even be charged.

Police say Gasser shot 28-year-old Joe McKnight three times Thursday without ever getting out of his car. A witness tells the Times-Picayune that McKnight was trying to apologize when he was shot; she says the shooter shot McKnight again while he was on the ground. Gasser was taken into custody but released without charges. It's unclear if any are coming. Louisiana law makes it legal to kill if you feel threatened, and Gasser is claiming self defense. Police say McKnight was unarmed and had no weapon in his vehicle. “You tell [me] how can a man murder someone go get to sleep in his bed at night. But my brother can’t. What the hell am I to tell my nephew,” the New Yorker quotes McKnight's former teammate Antonio Cromartie. (More Joe McKnight stories.)

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