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W e d n e s d ay, O c t O b e r 8, 2025
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‘THIS ISN’T US’
Iberville Parish mourns deputy killed in shooting
Senate confirms Kurt Wall for U.S. attorney He joins 107 others OK’d in single vote
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
Visitors pay their respects at a memorial unit for fallen Iberville Parish sheriff’s Deputy Charles Riley on Tuesday at the Iberville Parish Courthouse in Plaquemine.
Second deputy wounded in Monday incident remains hospitalized BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
Residents waited somberly outside the Iberville Parish Courthouse on Tuesday, with the flags at half-staff and two mobile blood collection trucks parked outside the entrance — the only indication that something tragic had happened there the night before. They traded rumors and scraps of information as they stood in the grass, preparing to donate blood in honor of a deputy who was killed and a detective who was injured Monday night in a shooting at the courthouse. “This isn’t us,” resident Kayla Garvin said. “This isn’t Iberville.” One deputy was killed and a detective was critically wounded during a struggle with suspect Latrell Clark, who was being questioned in connection with a sex
struck the three men. Responding Deputy Charles Riley and Clark died in the hospital. Stassi Jr., son of Sheriff Brett Stassi, remains in critical but stable condition as of Tuesday afternoon. For the community of Iberville Parish, the killing adds “another layer of sorrow” to a year already fraught with grief, according to a statement from the city of St. Gabriel. In addition to Riley’s death, St. Gabriel police Capt. Devin Boutte was found stabbed to death in his home in July. Reactions of shock and sadness poured in Monday night and into Tuesday, as the PROVIDED PHOTO public and elected officials alike mourned the loss of Riley. Deputy Charles Riley was killed in a “Rest in Peace Deputy Charles Riley,” shooting at the Iberville Parish Courthouse Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill on Monday. wrote on X. “I’m praying for his family, friends, and his fellow officers at the crimes investigation, according to the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office. Please Louisiana State Police. Clark was also continue to pray hard for Captain Stassi killed. to make a full recovery after the horrific According to the Louisiana State Police, shooting last night.” Clark attempted to disarm Capt. Brett Gov. Jeff Landry missed a news Stassi Jr. after learning he was under arä See DEPUTY, page 10A rest, resulting in a flurry of gunfire that
WASHINGTON — It took several tries and imposition of the “nuclear option,” but Kurt Wall finally was confirmed Tuesday for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the federal district based in Baton Rouge. Wall was nominated May 6 and cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee the first time on July 24. The Senate approved Wall on a vote of 51-47 for the job along with 107 others in a single vote without debate after the rules were changed. The nominees’ names weren’t even read aloud on the Senate floor. “I am extreme“I am ly grateful to extremely President Dongrateful to ald Trump for President this opportunity to serve,” Wall Donald Trump said after the for this vote. “We have a opportunity lot of important to serve. We work to do to make our com- have a lot of munity safer, important and I am ready work to do to hit the ground to make our running.” community “Kurt is the safer, and I man for the job,” U.S. Sen. Bill am ready to Cassidy, R-Ba- hit the ground ton Rouge, said running.” after the vote. “He’s ready to KURT WALL, protect LouisiU.S. attorney ana families and enforce the law.” No senator objected to Wall’s nomination, but it was collateral damage in a political fight over Trump’s push for lifetime appointments for federal judges that Democratic senators found too ideologically extreme. Democrats have control of 47 of the Senate’s 100 seats, which is not a majority but is enough to block confirmation of nominees, which
ä See WALL, page 8A
Contrasting accounts emerge in Lacy probe
Thompson to run for district attorney BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
Local attorney Ryan Thompson announced Tuesday he will challenge longtime East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore in the 2026 election. In deciding to run, Thompson, 44, pointed to heightened crime rates in Baton Rouge during Moore’s tenure and argued the justice system needs a fresh approach. “Nothing matters more to me and more to voters than public safety. My family calls this community home,” Thompson said. “The past 16 years have been the deadli-
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est on record for the city of Baton Rouge.” Homicides peaked in Baton Rouge in 2021 at 149 but have since steadily declined, though recent numbers remain higher than the late 2000s and early 2010s. “Despite the loss and pain so many families have endured, we’ve seen Thompson little in the way of new or innovative ideas to address crime or rebuild trust between the
ä See THOMPSON, page 8A
reckless driving caused State Police maintain Lacy’s a chain of events that led to the stance on fatal crash crash. In January, the 24-year-old
BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
STAFF FILE PHOTO
Kyren Lacy played three seasons at wide receiver for LSU.
Nearly half a year after former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy took his life, two contrasting narratives are publicly emerging over how Louisiana State Police handled the investigation that led to his arrest three months before his death. Lacy was accused of causing a Dec. 17 crash that killed 78-yearold Herman Hall, a military veteran from Thibodaux. While Lacy’s car never collided with others, State Police claim
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turned himself in to State Police on counts of negligent homicide, felony hit and run and reckless operation of a vehicle. Lacy was seen by many as destined for a bright future in the NFL. A former transfer from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he was the SEC co-leader for receiving yards during the 2024 season. After the accident, the NFL withdrew its invitation for him to participate in the annual draft combine. Then, in April, two days before
ä See LACY, page 11A
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