NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana State Police are investigating a shooting involving Houma police officers and a mentally ill man.
It happened late Monday afternoon in the 100 block of Downtown Court.
Police were responding to a call about a disturbance involving 36-year-old Johnny Magee.
“I called 911 and said 'My son is schizophrenic, bipolar, he has a mental disorder,'” Magee’s mother Lorraine Magee said. “I said when you come out here, I said send some policemen with experience in that area, so they won’t kill my child.”
Lorraine Magee said her son was having a mental breakdown when two police officers arrived in the parking lot in front of her trailer home.
She admits her son could get aggressive when having one of his episodes.
“When he’s in his flash out, he’s like that, especially when you go up on him,” Magee said. “He’s going to start fighting. Yes, he’s going to start fighting to protect himself.”
According to the state police, Magee charged at a Houma officer while holding a screwdriver.
“As the officer gave commands to stop and began to create distance, Magee continued forward as an additional officer arrived on the scene,” the LSP said in a written statement. “McGee raised his arm with the screwdriver in-hand towards one of the officers resulting in an officer discharging his service weapon.”
Neighbor Lashanda King witnessed the shooting.
“He did come out of the trailer, running…at them,” King said. “All you heard was pow, pow, pow, pow, four times.”
Lorraine Magee said she begged the police not to shoot.
“I said, 'Why you all shooting him?'” she said. “He’s disabled. I said, 'He’s mental, he don’t know what he’s doing, he hears voices.' I said, 'Don’t kill him, please don’t kill him, please don’t kill him.'”
Louisiana State Police is the lead investigating agency. The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office assisted with processing the scene.
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