It seems that every week we are hearing about another young black man killed by police. This time the victim is Victor White III, a New Iberia, Louisiana, man who state police said shot and killed himself in March, while in the custody of the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Department. White was arrested for narcotics possession, handcuffed, and placed in police custody.
While White was handcuffed with his hands behind his back, police claim that he pulled a gun and shot himself in the back. The New Iberia parish corners office has ruled the death a suicide. However, according to the autopsy, the bullet entered White’s chest, not his back and then punctured his left lung and heart before exiting his armpit and cutting his upper arm. White was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Protocol at the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office requires that deputies check suspects for weapons before they are placed into a police car. According to state police Master Trooper Brooks David, the investigation is still open. Trooper David stated that the officer’s believed that the bullet wound was from the back. However, following the investigation, it was determined the entrance was from the front. At this time police are still waiting on evidence in the case and they are not issuing any further comments on this active investigation.
