NEW ORLEANS – The ACLU of Louisiana released the following statement in response to the deadly shooting of an unarmed Black man by a Shreveport police officer. On February 3, police were called to Mr. Alonzo Bagley’s home following a noise complaint, and minutes later, they shot him dead. The killing comes just days after the ACLU of Louisiana announced a settlement with Shreveport Police Department after officers brutalized an unarmed Black man for expressing his first amendment rights. The following statement should be attributed to ACLU of Louisiana Legal Director Nora Ahmed.
“We are devastated to learn that the Shreveport police have brutalized and killed yet another unarmed Black man. Together, as a nation, we have watched another minor, routine police encounter turn into a deadly scene.
“Just last week, we settled a case with this agency for targeting and attacking Brandon Kennedy without warning or provocation at a convenience store. It is far past time to move beyond the frame of the bad apple cop. The systemic issues within the Shreveport police department are a broken structure that has normalized racism, brutality, and impunity for officers both criminally and civilly.
“The Shreveport Police Department’s Chief of Police, who claims to be mourning with Mr. Bagley’s family, has continuously failed to enact appropriate policies and practices to hold his officers accountable for their actions. Real accountability includes direct and immediate action taken against Alexander Tyler, the man who killed Mr. Bagley, as well as a full investigation of the officers’ actions against our client, Mr. Kennedy. The Chief must be transparent with the public about why those officers were not terminated and why they have been allowed to continue to patrol the streets, endangering the Black and Brown people of Shreveport.
“A police department that keeps officers on the force who use excessive force against those they are sworn to protect becomes the police force that kills yet another unarmed Black man. We cannot continue this pattern of abuse and the constant failure to adequately investigate excessive force.”
The ACLU of Louisiana’s Justice Lab has filed two cases against Shreveport Police Department and has filed nearly 50 cases involving police misconduct and brutality since 2020. The organization is committed to holding police accountable, from unconstitutional searches based on racial profiling to acts of violence committed by officers.
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