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Crowd is starting to gather for a planned 5 p.m. vigil and justice rally for 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin. Pellerin was shot by Lafayette police officers last night; officers were called out to a disturbance at a gas station and said they found Pellerin with a knife.
Pellerin walked about a half mile to another gas station with PD in pursuit on foot. Investigators said he was near the entrance to the convenience store, still armed, when he was shot. Video of the incident is circulating widely online
Here are details and community response: https://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/crime_police/article_93043d66-e48a-11ea-b7c6-77838e38234d.html
Family members are shocked and still processing the loss. His mother, Michelle, said she wishes she could say ‘I love you’ to her son one more time. https://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/crime_police/article_f5cf4944-e4b8-11ea-a8cd-0b69c8272b5c.html
People are gathering with signs: No Justice No Peace, Black Lives Matter and “A badge is not a license to kill.” Easily over 100 people gathered so far. Numbers growing as people continue to stream up up and drive by in cars
Attorneys Ronald Haley and Dedrick Moore, retained by Pellerin’s family, are addressing the crowd.
Moore said everyone in the Lafayette community needs to be committed to pushing for justice and keep the focus on accountability. Don’t go to sleep on this, he said.
“You’ll be left here to make sure your lives are counted for,” Moore said.
“You’ll be left here to make sure your lives are counted for,” Moore said.
Devon Norman, Lafayette NAACP youth council chairman, calling on the community to fight back. We’re not going to burn buildings, we’re going to burn down the system, Norman said.
Lafayette NAACP President Marja Broussard leads the crowd in a call and response, pushing the community to bring their fight to the city-parish government, state leadership and meeting with law enforcement.
Speeches are still going but some ralliers have moved into the roadway to block Evangeline Thruway.
One of the organizers Chris Bernard using a megaphone to try to move people from the road. Calling on people to honor Pellerin’s family and what they want. Marja Broussard also asking people to move
Some people are now laying down in the roadway. Unclear when people decided to shift attention to the roadway but attention shifted toward the road from the speeches and people began streaming toward the road.
Lafayette police officers are beginning to arrive on scene
Crowd marching down the Thruway and organizers speaking with police and trying to keep the peace. Not on video: Police vehicles clearing out shortly after and someone throwing a clod of dirt or a rock at a police vehicle
We’ve got two split approaches out here. The organizers, below, who are trying to reroute people into the frontage road and a crowd continuing on the thruway who want to keep control of the major roadway and block traffic in protest.
