The preliminary results of an independent autopsy obtained by Trayford Pellerin's family were released Thursday along with a prepared statement by the family's attorney, Ronald Haley.
Pellerin died in a "hail of gunfire" on Aug. 21, Haley said in the statement, saying Lafayette Police fired a total of 17 shots at close range. Pellerin was walking toward a convenience store when police shot him. Several bullets struck the building "inches away where innocent customers stood," Haley said.
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After being shot 10 times, Haley said, Pellerin was placed in handcuffs.
He also said there was no evidence that Pellerin was struck by a taser before police shot and killed him on Evangeline Thruway.
The report indicates Pellerin was shot multiple times including in the lower right arm, the right lateral chest, the abdomen, possibly on the right hip, in the upper right thigh, left torso, left upper thigh, left leg above the knee, mid right back, and left index finger.
The death was classified a homicide; the preliminary cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, according to the report.
The autopsy, conducted by American Forensics of Mesquite, Texas, found no evidence on Pellerin's body that he was ever struck by a taser nor any defensive markings on Pellerin's body; there were brush burns on the knees as a result of falling to the ground.
In the hours after the shooting, State Police said, "Officers deployed Tasers as they pursued Pellerin, but they were ineffective."
Mayor-President Josh Guillory later reiterated that the shooting came after “multiple tries to subdue the knife-wielding suspect through the use of tasers."
The report also found bruises on Pellerin's wrists that indicated he was handcuffed.
The family of Trayford Pellerin is scheduled to meet with Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory on Friday morning, The Current reports.
"This means that after Lafayette Police shot Mr. Pellerin ten times and [he] lay dying on the concrete, those officers handcuffed Mr. Pellerin’s limp and lifeless body," Haley said.
Haley went on to demand a swift investigation into the shooting, saying, "The incident unmistakably demonstrates a lack of proper training on or utilization of de-escalation tactics and restraint by the Lafayette Police Department."
He also demanded transparency from all investigating agencies. On behalf of the family, the lawyer previously demanded body camera footage from the police officers on the scene of the shooting, along with video surveillance footage from the convenience store and any adjacent businesses.
The Rev. Al Sharpton will be in Lafayette next week to speak at the funeral of Trayford Pellerin, according to a report from KLFY.
