Joe McKnight's Accused Shooter Charged with Manslaughter

LOS ANGELES, CA — The man whom authorities said fatally shot former NFL and USC running back Joe McKnight was arrested and charged with manslaughter Monday night, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.

Ron Gasser, 54, was booked shortly before midnight Monday and charged with one count of manslaughter. At a news conference Tuesday morning, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand defended the decision to release Gasser without charging him Friday to allow detectives time to collect more evidence and talk to more witnesses.

Part of the reason authorities released Gasser was because of misinformation from a witness who gave false statements immediately following the shooting, Normand said. The vitriol from social media following the shooting and release of Gasser made some witnesses afraid to come forward, so investigators needed time to find and talk to these witnesses, he said.

"I can promise you that had I made an arrest Thursday night, they would not have come forward," Normand said. "For sure, in some cases."

Even with the arrest and charge, the case is still "maturing," he said. More charges could be added by the district attorney's office, Normand said. Gasser's bail is listed as $0, according to JPSO jail records.

Gasser was accused of shooting McKnight, 28, multiple times Thursday afternoon at "the culmination of a road-rage incident," he said.

Gasser fired three rounds, each hitting McKnight, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to investigators.

Authorities said Gasser stayed at the scene and handed his weapon over to authorities. Gasser was released after he gave a statement to investigators. Normand told the community on Friday not to read too much into Gasser's release as the investigation was still ongoing.

After additional witnesses came forward, investigators were able to piece together enough evidence to charge Gasser, Normand said.

"Suffice it to say, that, obviously, a lot of the independent witnesses have provided information that don't completely square up with Mr. Gasser statement," he said. The sheriff refused to go into detail about the statements.

Potential witnesses were identified using a license plate reader in the area, Normand said.

On Thursday, Gasser gave a statement that seemed to set up a "stand your ground" defense, Normand said. Some parts of Gasser's statements could have been self-serving, he added.

According to Normand, Gasser's car was boxed in at the intersection of Behrman Highway and Holmes Boulevard, where the shooting happened. There was a car in front of and behind Gasser's car, and McKnight's car was on the passenger side of Gasser's car. McKnight then walked out of his vehicle and bent down to look into Gasser's car, and that was when the shooting happened, Normand said.

Even though Gasser's car was boxed in and he had no avenue to retreat, that factor did not play into this case, Normand said. Louisiana's stand-your-ground law does not require retreat, he said.

After McKnight was shot, Gasser did what was known in law enforcement circles as a "police-sweeping position," because McKnight fell between the two cars and Gasser could not see him, Normand said.

A military officer convinced Gasser to put his gun away and let authorities perform life-saving measures on McKnight.

McKnight was unarmed at the time of the shooting. A gun was found inside the car McKnight was driving, but it did not belong to him, Normand said. The gun and the car were registered to McKnight's father, he said.

"We have no evidence to suggest that (McKnight) insinuated that at any moment in time during the altercation that he did (have a gun)," Normand said.

McKnight played for the Trojans from 2007-2010. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, for whom he played three seasons. He missed the 2013 season after being released by the Jets, then played an injury-shortened season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014. He played this year for the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE:

• Joe McKnight's Alleged Shooter Released Without Charge; Authorities Promise Thorough Investigation
  
• Ex-USC Running Back Joe McKnight Killed in Louisiana Shooting

-- Photo courtesy of the JPSO