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A Louisiana family demands answers about the death of their infant child. Almost a year later, the family of a 3-month old baby are still waiting for law enforcement officials to share if the child was fatally shot by an officer’s bullet. La’Mello Parker was shot after being kidnapped by his father. Parker’s father, Eric Derrell Smith, 30, took the baby after killing his mother, Smith’s former girlfriend Christin Parker, 32, police reported. Smith also murdered the girlfriend’s nephew, Brandon Parker, 26, at a home in Baker, Louisiana, on May 3, 2021.
After hearing the gunshots, Christin Parker’s daughter ran outside and told a neighbor what happened, police said. At this time, Smith was already on the run. The child’s testimony to police was essential to law enforcement identifying Smith as the shooter according to The Advocate.
While in the custody of the father, the child was killed either by his parent or by law enforcement during the 130-mile pursuit on the interstate. This statement is now at the center of contention for the family.
Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer determined the cause of the baby’s death was a single gunshot wound obtained during crossfire between the police and his father, WWLTV reported.
The coroner didn’t reveal if the fatal shot was a close-range one or from a distance. On May 5, he said those ballistics will be included in the autopsy report and be sent directly to investigators and the district attorney’s office. The murder suspect died during his shootout with the police. The autopsy report says Smith died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Now nine months later, the family is still seeking answers. According to Atlanta Black Star:
The family reportedly knows that after Smith killed the mother and the cousin, he fled with the child. The officers started following him in Louisiana and pursued on east on I-10, knowing the child was in the man’s custody. With this awareness, the police from various agencies banded together to try to safely retrieve the child and protect the public by blocking the road and exit ramps.
According to law enforcement, the firing between the officers and the suspect started on the interstate in Hancock County. At one point, over 50 vehicles were chasing Smith on I-10.
During the pursuit, Smith’s tires were damaged by spikes during the pursuit by police. He reportedly stopped near the Woolmarket exit in Biloxi as he tried to cut across the median. Immediately, minutes after the car stopped, officers began to surround his vehicle. A video shows the officers ringing off at least 20 gunshots.
Parker, a casualty in the violent standoff, was rushed to Merit Health in Biloxi, Mississippi. Later, accompanied by police escorts, the baby was transported to USA Medical Center in Mobile, Alabama. Reports say he died at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 4, merely hours later arriving. That is all the family says it knows nine months later.
Detectives say the shooting is still under investigation. One report says that the father may have used Baby Parker as a human shield during the shootout. According to The Advoate, Smith had the child close to his chest with one hand and his gun in the other. The outlet also stated that while Smith shot at the cops, he did not hit any one of them.
The Biloxi Police Department is leading the investigation. Usually, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation would be at the helm, but had deferred to the local force because Mississippi Highway Patrol was involved in the shooting.
While there has not been substantial movement in this investigation, Police Chief John Miller interviewed with the Sun-Herald and stated that given the MHP’s involvement in the case, the FBI Crime Lab, not the state crime lab, is analyzing evidence from the shooting. Once that information trickles down to the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office the family will be notified.
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