IBERIA PARISH — Community members in Iberia Parish are demanding answers after a man was shot and killed by law enforcement Wednesday night.
Louisiana State Police confirm that Justin Rhine was killed during an encounter with officers from the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office and the New Iberia Police Department. They say deputies were attempting to take Rhine into custody under a protective order when he ran and pulled out a gun. Officers opened fire, fatally shooting him.
Raymond “Shoe-Do” Lewis, a school board member and close friend of Rhine, says the community is shaken and frustrated.
“The community is angry right now. We don’t know what went on or how it went on,” said Lewis.
Just minutes before the shooting, Lewis says he ran into Rhine while dropping off a friend on Twenty Arpent Road.
“I asked him, ‘What are you doing over here with all that money?’ And he joked back, ‘No, you’ve got all the money,’” Lewis recalled.“We laughed—that’s just how we would kid with each other.”
But soon after, Lewis says he received a shocking call from his sister.
“She called me and said someone was shot and killed.”
Lewis was devastated to learn it was Rhine.
“Thirty minutes later he’s dead. I don’t understand—I had just talked with him,” Lewis said. “I got in a rage... I got angry.”
Although authorities have released initial details, Lewis says the community needs more transparency.
“A simple video showing what actually happened can bring a lot of peace—if it’s the way police are trying to describe it.”
Lewis described Rhine as someone who had fallen on hard times but was trying to turn his life around.
“He did have mental health issues, but I think it was because he couldn’t find a job. He had been incarcerated before, and once that happens, it’s like having an X on your back. Nobody wants to hire you.”
District 5 Councilman Ron Davis, who represents the area where the shooting occurred, says the incident is unlike anything he’s seen in his district.
“We have shootings like this here all the time—but nothing that involves a police officer," said Davis. “It’s very unfortunate. A young man has lost his life.”
The investigation is ongoing.
