Cop Shoots Unarmed Great-Grandfather at Family Picnic, Faces no Consequences

HOMER, LA — Two police officers crashed a family cookout to harass a man who was not wanted or suspected of any crimes, then shot the man’s elderly father and allegedly planted a gun on him, according to numerous witnesses.

This incident took place in the town of Homer, home to only 3,800 residents.  The poor, northern Louisiana town had made it a priority for its 8-cop roster to get “tough on drugs.”

[amazon asin=0990463109&template=*lrc ad (left)]In doing so, Homer Police officers were instructed to stop and question young black males without cause, and to go after certain individuals for targeted harassment.  One of these specific targets was 38-year-old Shaun Monroe.

Shaun Monroe was not wanted for any crimes and had no warrants for his arrest.  There was no tangible or legal reason that the police should have been harassing him, yet officers were told that if they ever saw him carrying a black bag, that they should stop and search him because the bag “probably contained drugs.”  On the afternoon of Friday, February 20th, 2009, two officers intruded upon a family cookout for exactly that reason.

The cookout was hosted by Bernard Monroe, Sr., and his wife Louise, Shaun’s elderly parents.  Numerous family members and friends were present, enjoying a day of laughter and food.  The Monroes had 5 children, 18 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, many of whom were present.  Bernard, 73, was a retired electrical utility worker and was mute because of surgeries undertaken to survive throat cancer, but was seen sitting and enjoying himself as the day progressed.[amazon asin=B005S28ZES&template=*lrc ad (right)]

Shaun was parked in the driveway, sitting in his car, as HPD officers stalked him from nearby. Officers would later claim that they saw a black bag, but no other witnesses corroborated that.  When Shaun got out and mixed in with his family, HPD officers Tim Cox and Joseph Henry marched onto the property without a warrant to question and harass him — an individual that they had been told would be an easy target for a drug arrest, according to the investigation of Louisiana Assistant Attorney General Kurt Wall.

When police attempted to confront Shaun, he backed away, likely because he knew of the unjust methodologies of the local police against his demographic. “[Officers] Henry and Cox entered the [Monroe] property, without permission or cause, and began chasing Shaun Monroe,” a subsequent lawsuit alleged.  The cops then entered the house.  “Each of these actions was without legal justification,” the lawsuit stated.

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