MARRERO, La. (WGNO) — The former Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy formally charged in the deadly shooting of an unarmed man in 2022 has been sentenced.
On Feb. 16, 2022, 34-year-old Daniel Vallee was shot and killed while sitting inside his truck in a Marrero neighborhood.
That day, deputies were called to respond to a noise complaint in the 500 block of Wilson Street, where they found Vallee sitting in a car outside of a known drug house.
Deputies said that as they approached Vallee, he locked the doors, started the engine and refused to cooperate for about 15 minutes before dropping his hands and hitting his horn. That’s when deputies began to shoot.
“Their perception was that their life was in danger at that point in time. Unfortunately, the use of force in this situation was not justified,” said Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto in 2022.
The former deputies, Isaac Hughes and Jonathan Louis, were fired and arrested for manslaughter.
An investigation and review of body camera footage determined that both deputies fired at an “unarmed man.”
During the trial in May, both Louis and Hughes admitted to not seeing a gun during the incident. Hughs told the court that he pulled his gun when Vallee started his truck and fired because he thought the truck was moving toward him.
Louis said he fired shots because he didn’t know who was shooting.
During the proceedings, the jury heard from witnesses, including other deputies on the scene. One deputy gave a recount of the incident and stated that he never pulled his gun.
An autopsy revealed that Vallee had been shot eight times.
Louis was found not guilty in the incident but on June 11, Hughes was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to three years of probation following the suspension of a five-year sentence.
Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.