$1M Bond Set for Louisiana Officers Charged in Killing of 6-Year-Old
Two officers have both been charged with second-degree murder.
— -- The two law enforcement officers charged in the killing a 6-year-old boy when they shot at his father's car during an incident last week in Louisiana are each being held on a $1 million bond.
Derrick Stafford and Norris Greenhouse Jr. have both been charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder after they fired multiple shots at Chris Few's car in Marksville, Louisiana, Wednesday. State District Judge William Bennett held the closed bond hearing today at the jail where the officers are being held.
During this morning’s hearing, District Attorney Charles Riddle recused himself from the case because Greenhouse’s father has worked as an assistant prosecutor in the District Attorney’s office for more than 13 years and their personal relationship would be a “conflict with the fair and impartial administration of justice,” according to the recusal order obtained by ABC. The state Attorney General’s office will now take over the prosecution of the case as a result.
"Nothing is more important than the integrity of this badge. Tonight, the badge has been tarnished by these two individuals," Superintendent of the Louisiana State Police Col. Mike Edmonson said at a news conference Friday night when the officers were arrested, according to ABC affiliate WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting are still under investigation, specifically why the officers, who were working as Louisiana marshals at the time, were trying to stop Few's car, The Associated Press reported.
Few was driving in the vehicle with son Jeremy Mardis, who was fatally shot in the incident. Few was wounded and is still being treated for his unspecified injuries, but a representative for the Alexandria Rapides Regional Medical Center confirmed to ABC News that he is now in fair condition.
Stafford and Greenhouse were two of four law enforcement officers who were on the scene at the time of the shooting, though they are the only ones believed to have fired their weapons.
State police reportedly said Stafford is a full-time lieutenant with the Marksville Police Department; Greenhouse is a full-time city marshal. Both were working part-time as deputy marshals in Marksville's Ward 2 when Tuesday's shooting occurred, state police said, according to the AP.
The funeral for Mardis is being held this afternoon in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.