Josef Delon Richardson was 38 when he died on July 25, 2019, after being shot in a motel room in Port Allen, Louisiana. Members of the River West Narcotics Division entered a Budget 7 Motel room where Richardson was with his girlfriend, Jessica Clouatre. West Baton Rouge Parish Deputy Vance Matranga Jr. fired one shot that struck Richardson in the back of the neck, severing his spinal cord; an autopsy listed a single bullet to the back of the neck as the cause of death.

Accounts differ about what happened in the seconds before the shot. Deputy Matranga said he fired because he believed Richardson was reaching for a weapon. Clouatre, the sole eyewitness, says Richardson had his hands in the air and was being taken into custody when he was shot; Richardson’s family says he was unarmed and wearing only underwear. Clouatre and Richardson’s family later filed separate civil lawsuits against Deputy Matranga and West Baton Rouge Parish, describing the shooting as excessive and reckless.

Does anyone have additional information about the raid or the rooming parties that night?