Teen shot 1 yr ago arrested in another burglary in same section of town
Teenager shot by Marigny homeowner arrested in residential burglary, sources say
Homeowner shoots teenager in Marigny
Neighbor Gigi Welch kisses the nose of Frisco, the Landry family's dog, in the driveway of the house in the 700 block of Mandeville Street where neighbors said homeowner Merritt Landry allegedly shot a teenager in the early morning hours of Friday, July 26, 2013. (Michael DeMocker, Nola.com / The Times-Picayune)
By Naomi Martin, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune
Teenager shot by Marigny homeowner arrested in residential burglary, sources say No decision in case of Marigny homeowner who shot unarmed teenager Development expected in case of Marigny homeowner who shot unarmed teen No decision yet on charges for Marigny homeowner who shot teenage intruder Orleans DA's office taking its time with polarizing Marigny shooting case
A 15-year-old who survived being shot in the head last July by a Marigny homeowner was arrested Friday (May 2) in a residential burglary in the Marigny, according to two law enforcement officials. Marshall Coulter was shot last July by homeowner Merritt Landry, who later told police he believed the teen was breaking into his home.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation.
They said Coulter was detained Friday afternoon by 8th District detectives after a resident in the 2000 block of Royal Street reported a burglary of their home. It was not immediately clear how police linked him to the crime.
New Orleans police spokesman Officer Frank Robertson III said officers detained a 15-year-old boy around 3:45 p.m. and booked him on a simple burglary charge. He said the investigation was ongoing and that no more information would be forthcoming. No court or jail records were available in the case.
The Coulter family could not immediately be reached. A former neighbor said they moved in recent months.
Coulter was left with serious injuries after the shooting, his family has said. Coulter was still undergoing surgeries, including the removal of part of his skull, in December, his mother told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune at the time. She said her son had trouble walking, talking and eating.
But he can burglarize houses at 3:45 am.
Landry was booked with attempted second-degree murder the day of the shooting, but has not been charged since. An Orleans Parish grand jury has been considering the polarizing Landry case, but has not returned an indictment. Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro has said he was taking his time with the racially-charged case. Coulter is black; Landry is white.
The July 26 shooting, which came on the heels of the not guilty verdict in the divisive George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case in Florida, touched off a firestorm of controversy in New Orleans. Opponents accused Landry of overreacting with deadly force; supporters said he had the right to defend himself and his family.
A building inspector for the Historic District Landmarks Commission, Landry, 33, told police he was home with his pregnant wife and 2-year-old daughter when he thought he heard the window shutters on his single-story shotgun rustle shortly before 2 a.m., a source close to Landry said. Landry told police that he confronted the teen in the driveway just a few feet from the house's backdoor.
Some people close to Landry said that he told them that he then yelled out, "Freeze! Get down!"
Police reports simply state that Landry told police that he saw the teen make a "move, as if to reach for something."
Police records state that Landry then shot Coulter from 30 feet away. A single bullet struck Coulter in the head. The teen was rushed to the hospital where he was listed as being in an induced coma for many weeks later.
Landry said he believed the teen was trying to break into his house, according to the arrest warrant.
Detectives, however, said that their investigation showed that Coulter, who was not armed, did not pose an "imminent threat" to Landry. Detectives also spoke with an unidentified witness whose account differed from Landry's, according to the arrest warrant.
Coulter's family has acknowledged the teen's history of burglary arrests. Family members at the time of the shooting said Coulter was awaiting trial but would not say what the charges were. Coulter's brother even went so far as to call his little brother a "professional thief," but said that he would never pick up a gun.
Christopher Bowman, a spokesman for Cannizzaro, declined to comment Friday evening.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/05/teenager_shot_by_marigny_homeo.html |
