Family of Man Killed by JPSO Seeks Justice, Sues for Body Cam Footage – Police Says

NEW ORLEANS –  A lawsuit has been filed by the family of a young man who was shot and killed by a Jefferson Parish deputy during what the sheriff’s office described as an attempt to apprehend a suspect in a road rage shooting in New Orleans and a stakeout of a stolen car.

Calvin Cains III, who was shot and murdered on June 6, 2023, in a Metairie apartment complex, was eighteen. His family and the attorneys defending them have stated that they are interested in seeing body cam footage of the tragic event.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office had stated that the body cam footage would not be made public while the matter was being investigated, but it now states that it does not comment on cases that are still pending.

According to lawyer Bobby DiCello, there were other ways that Cains III’s attempted arrest might have transpired. He said that the cops were wearing plain clothes and that Cains III was not in a car that had been moved from its parallel parking space, therefore the officer who fired the fatal shot did not need to do so.

“You imagine they would have released that if you had a clear case of Calvin being a threat,” the man remarked.

“I have been advocating for fairness and responsibility,” stated Cains III’s mother, Mallory Woodfork. “I would like to see the body cam footage from that day. I’d like to know why my kid was considered a threat. Why wasn’t he given the opportunity to be securely captured?

DiCello stated that the reason the action was filed now is that, after a year, the family would no longer be able to file a civil suit.

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At the time of the incident, Cains III was wanted for aggravated second-degree battery in connection with a shooting that had taken place in the Tremé district on June 4. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office had received a request for assistance from New Orleans Police in this regard.

Sheriff Joe Lopinto stated that Cains had earlier been taken into custody at a relative’s apartment in the 3300 block of West Esplanade and that authorities were searching for a stolen Toyota C-HR that had been connected to the shooting in Tremé.

After being dispatched there, deputies noticed the Toyota in the parking lot.

Lopinto stated that when Cains III left an apartment and got into the car, deputies were in the process of setting up surveillance. According to Lopinto, the deputies then slid their car in front of the Audi to prevent it from escaping.

At the time, Cains III put the car in reverse, struck the barrier at the back of the parking area, and then “turned the wheels and moved the vehicle between the blocking vehicle and the fence,” according to a statement provided by the sheriff’s office.

According to Lopinto, Cains III was hit by gunfire through the glass by a cop who was approaching the vehicle.

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The attempted escape of Cains, according to Lopinto at the time, “put one of our deputy’s lives in danger.”

The father of Cains III, Calvin Cains Jr., expressed doubts to NOLA.com at the time about how the NOPD came to believe his son was the shooter from the June 4 Tremé incident.

He added that a year prior, Cains III had been detained at the same Metairie complex, but there had been no shooting during that arrest.

Calvin Cains Jr. said at the time to NOLA.com, “He was a loving kid, he just made some bad decisions.”