No Charges in David Harris' Death

When District Attorney Steve Tew announced that no charges would be filed against Monroe police officers concerning the death of David Harris, who died in MPD police custody, it did not catch anyone by surprise. The decision certainly brought no comfort to members of the Harris family. Family attorney Carol Powell Lexing said that the family was disappointed by the decision. Months have passed since Harris's death on April 21, and the family was hoping for a different outcome. There was much anger from many in the community, as they saw Harris' death at the hands of police officers as another example of how African-Americans are treated more harshly than White citizens. The unfortunate outcome for African-Americans is often death. Harris' death wasn't investigated by the Louisiana State Police, as the agency does in cases like this, but by an organization that hardly anyone knows. The organization, called the North Louisiana Sheriff's Investigative Unit (NLSIU), consisted of seven law enforcement agencies from seven northeast parishes, whose purpose is to address the need "for competent and thorough third-party investigation" as MPD was not trusted to conduct a fair and thorough investigation. The organization turned their findings over to Tew several weeks ago, as the community and the Harris family eagerly awaited a decision.

District Attorney Tew released a statement saying, "that after careful review of the written reports, recorded statements of witnesses, numerous officer body camera videos and the autopsy report, that there was no wrongdoing on the part of police officers." The statement went on to say that because Harris had phencyclidine and methamphetamine in his system, the physical struggle with officers accelerated his death caused by hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The report seems to imply that Harris' own actions caused his death. The autopsy said that Harris suffered "pulmonary arrest" following physical restraint(struggle?) with police officers. The statement concluded by stating that no further action in this matter will be taken. Initial reports say that Harris was taken into custody after officers arrived and was told by a relative to take him to the hospital. MPD said that on the way to the hospital, Harris became "combative" without exactly detailing what Harris did. Instead of going to the hospital, the report reveals that officers took Harris to OCC. While at OCC, Harris became unresponsive. CPR was performed, but Harris died. In the D.A. 's statement, Harris was taken to the hospital, not OCC, where the statement says Harris was combative and "fighting officers excessively". The initial report as given to the media didn't say that Harris was taken to OCC. Who is telling the truth? MPD or the NLSIU? Or is there a coverup? Was NLSUI aware of Harris' phantom trip to OCC? Were they misled? Mayor Friday Ellis was expected to make a statement Monday, July 2, 2021, but as of this writing, there have been no comments from the mayor's office or from MPD Chief Victor "Vic" Zordan