The recent death of Alonzo Bagley, an unarmed Black man killed by Shreveport police officers has sparked outrage in the community and raised questions about police accountability. But what is less known is that five years prior to his death, Bagley had sued the same department for excessive use of force.
According to court documents, Alonzo Bagley was beaten by police officers during domestic dispute between Bagley and his wife. There are allegations that during the arrest, one cop put Bagley in handcuffs that were too tight on him. “As he struggled to be handcuffed behind his back in the back passenger compartment of a SPD patrol car, he attempted to move his hands to the front of his body to ease the pain and discomfort of being handcuffed behind his back,” according to the suit.
Based on the filing, it appears that Bagley “had no intention of escaping and did not attempt to escape but rather rearranged himself from the painful position in which he was placed.” When the responding officer opened the door, he allegedly swung his fist and delivered several strikes to the head and face with forceful blows, while another officer did nothing to intervene and do nothing.
Alonzo Bagley was killed by Shreveport police after they responded to a call about a man with a gun. Officers claim that Bagley pointed a gun at them, and they shot him in self-defense. However, witnesses say that Bagley was not armed and did not pose a threat to the officers.
The Shreveport Police Department has released a statement in response to the shooting of a black man by one of its officers. The department says that it is “deeply saddened” by the incident and that it is fully cooperating with the investigation. The department also says that it has implemented new training and policies in an effort to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening in the future.
The victim’s family has filed a lawsuit against the Shreveport Police Department, alleging that the department has a history of excessive force against black men. The suit alleges that the department has a pattern of using deadly force when it is not warranted, and that officers often target black men for minor offenses.
The death of this Black man by Shreveport police is a sobering reminder that excessive force and racial profiling remain pervasive in law enforcement. His lawsuit five years prior demonstrates the deep-rooted issues within the department, but unfortunately it was not enough to prevent his untimely death.
