Maggie Dunne, 17, and Caroline Gill, 16, of Brasserie, Louisiana, were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. Button Liam Dunn, Maggie’s younger brother and his 20-year-old student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, fell critically ill Tuesday morning, according to his Rouge-based broadcaster WBRZ.
Cauthron, 42, was arrested on Sunday and authorities have charged him with two counts of manslaughter and one count of manslaughter, Clayton said.
“This officer was grossly negligent,” Clayton told the Post on Tuesday. I have to give up my car.”
Each count of manslaughter is punishable by up to five years in prison./Or, under Louisiana law, a fine of up to $5,000. If a police officer is convicted of negligent bodily injury, he could serve up to six months in prison./or pay a fine of up to $1,000.
Addis Police Chief Richard “Ricky” Anderson did not immediately respond to a request for comment earlier Tuesday. Cauthron’s employment status at the Addis police station remains unclear, but Clayton told his WBRZ that Anderson showed him that the officer was on leave. It is unknown if Cauthron has a lawyer.
The chain of events that led to the fatal crash began at Baton Rouge on Saturday when 24-year-old Tyquel Zanders allegedly broke into a family home and stole a 2016 Nissan Altima.
“He went to his parents’ house and pushed his father into the car,” Clayton said.
After Zanders failed to do so, police began chasing him in East Baton Rouge He pulled over and passed a red light, reaching a speed of 110 miles per hour, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Once the chase crossed the Mississippi River bridge, it fell under the jurisdiction of West Baton Rouge authorities, Clayton said.
Courtron joins the Addis Police Department In February, after a stint at the Pointecoupie Parish Sheriff’s Office, he was one of the area’s police officers to respond to backup calls to track down Zanders. Addis is less than 10 miles southwest of Baton Rouge. It is a municipality in About 7,100, according to Census Bureau estimates for 2021.
As Cauthron followed Zanders, his patrol car drove through a Louisiana Highway 1 intersection with a red light for about 20 seconds, WBRZ reported. When Cauthron’s patrol car rushed to pursue Zanders, there were six or he seven cars at the intersection, Clayton told The Post.
When the police car crashed into the car that the girls and Dan’s brother were in, the force of the crash steered the car into the highway median. Neither Dan nor Gil, who were on their way to the store, were involved in the alleged theft that sparked the police pursuit, according to the accusation documents.
After investigators arrived at the scene, they reviewed footage of the intersection and dashcam footage from the Caudron cruiser, Clayton said. Louisiana law allows officers to speed or run red lights while chasing a suspect, but police are not endangering the lives of others. must slow down or stop to see
Cauthron opened on Tuesday with a bond of $100,000. Clayton told The Post that he plans to call a grand jury in the Cauthron case by the end of this month.
The district attorney said he agreed with the Addis policeman’s decision to arrest him, but wondered why Baton Rouge police pursued Xanders in the first place.
“I can’t imagine a situation in a small town in the United States where cops are chasing a suspect at 100 miles an hour,” he told the Post. “[Zanders] I was about to run out of gas or money. All we had to do was wait for him to come back. ”
police detained Xanders after his car stalled, according to the District Attorney’s Office. According to West Button’s Rouge Sheriff’s Office, he faces charges of burglary, vehicle theft, and aggravated flying, as well as two counts of manslaughter in his death in the deaths of Maggie Dunne and Gil. increase. According to state attorneys, he could face up to 40 years in prison for manslaughter. It is unknown if Zanders has a lawyer.
New Year’s Eve tragedy has rocked the small community of Bruce Lee over the past few days. Classmates and teachers remembered junior Dan and her sophomore Gil as best friends, honors students and cheerleaders at Brasserie High School. Principal Walt Lemoyne described the loss as “extensive to our school community,” noting that Dan’s mother and her sister work at the school and Gil has a sibling in the school system. Did.
“They were exactly what you wanted for your daughter,” Lemoine told The Post. It seems that I was attacked by
The cheerleading team posted photos of the girls on Facebook, asking them to “share your memories and photos of Maggie and Caroline and how they made you smile.”
“Their enthusiasm and bright smiles will be missed more than you can imagine,” the post reads.
RIP 🙏🏾 Maggie Dunn, 17, and Caroline Gill, 15. David Cauthron, 42, who was responsible for his work in West Button, said he was arrested by the Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office and charged with manslaughter. pic.twitter.com/N25g5y9ggv
— Kenny Akers (@KeneAkers) January 2, 2023
The school held a candlelight vigil for the girls Monday night before returning to class on Tuesday morning.Lemoine said 500 people gathered to remember the victims and pray for Liam Dunne’s recovery. Estimated.
Jennifer Perkins, a high school cheerleading coach, shared with Baton Rouge-based WAFB how Maggie Dunn and Gil enjoyed each other on TikTok during practice. The coach then said he was devastated to know he would never see the smiles of the “great girls” again.
“It’s just a nightmare you don’t wake up from,” Perkins told the TV station.
