Louisiana State Police have completed their investigation of an officer-involved shooting that happened outside a Lafayette nightclub and have delivered their findings to the Lafayette District Attorney.
Records produced by LSP in response to a public records request by KATC Investigates indicate that investigators found no probable cause to charge the officer involved in the August 2021 shooting, which left one man dead and a woman injured.
The State Police report indicates the investigation into the fight and shooting among concert-goers is being handled by Lafayette Police; LSP handled only the involvement of the Lafayette Police officer.
To date, no arrests have been made in connection with the incident; Lafayette Police detained two people that night but they were released due to lack of evidence, the LSP report states. We've reached out to LPD for any updates, and we'll update the story when we hear back.
At the time of the shooting, Lafayette Police said dozens of rounds were fired during a fight in the parking lot following a concert at The District, which is located on Johnston Street in south Lafayette. Dashawn Batiste, 22, of Breaux Bridge, died in the shooting.
Louisiana State Police were called to investigate because a Lafayette Police officer, who was working security at the concert, fired his weapon.
The troopers' report states that three bullets were found in Batiste's body: two 9mm and one .40. The officer who fired his weapon was carrying a .40 gun. The report doesn't state what the autopsy determined regarding which bullet killed Batiste, but it did state that the officer was fired upon first.
Investigators reviewed the officer's body cam footage, evidence gathered at the scene and interviewed witnesses. The District has a surveillance system, but it was not operating when the shooting happened, the report states.
They determined that the injured woman, who was wounded in the hand and leg, had driven to Houston to pick up Batiste and two other men. They drove back to Lafayette, went to the concert and were leaving when the shooting started. Investigators said their group was arguing with another group that was leaving the concert.
The woman was shot before she could get into her car, and she said she saw Batiste shooting a gun, the records state. She was driving her car away and crashed into another vehicle. Batiste ran away on foot, but the woman and the other two men were stopped by police in the car, the report states. When troopers arrived on the scene, Batiste's body was on a patch of grass adjacent to the parking lot.
The report says the officer was wearing his uniform and was "fully recognizable as a police officer." He was not the only Lafayette officer on the scene when the shooting started, but he was the only one who fired his weapon, the report states.
The evidence collected at the scene was voluminous, according to the report. In addition to the woman's car and the one she crashed into, another eight vehicles were hit by gunfire. Three handguns were found in her car, and a fourth was found under her car, the report states.
The report states that a handgun was found under the car she crashed into, and handguns were found in three other cars. One of those cars also contained an AR15, the report states. Investigators collected 118 spent casings from the parking lot, which were 9mm, 40 caliber, 45 caliber, 223 caliber and 556 caliber.
At least one civil lawsuit was filed in connection with the incident, when the owners of The District sued Lafayette Police after then-Chief Thomas Glover ordered the venue closed for safety reasons. That petition was dismissed by the The District's attorneys in September.
