The Delhi Town Council voted to terminate two police officers involved in a fatal shooting after the Fifth District Attorney’s Office declined to press charges against them.
The council made its decision at its regular meeting on Dec. 13. The two officers were involved in a fatal officer involved shooting on Aug. 11, 2024, south of Delhi. The Louisiana State Police Detective-Monroe Field Office was called to investigate this incident and the officers were put on administrative leave with pay while Louisiana State Police Detectives-Monroe Field Office conducted their investigation The state police recently completed their investigation and turned their findings over to the Fifth Judicial District Attorney Office. The Fifth Judicial District Attorney Office declined to pursue any criminal charges against the Delhi Police Department officers.
At the meeting on Jan. 13, Delhi Police Chief Roy Williams recommended the officers be reinstated to full-time status. The council then voted to terminate both officers.
Delhi Alderman Larry Rancher said he felt the offi cers should be terminated due to the severity of the incident.
“There’s no win-win answer in this situation,” Rancher said. “We had a person who lost his life. We had no cameras. We had no witnesses. We had nothing. Two officers may have lost their jobs but we had a dead citizen.”
In other business, the Delhi Town Council voted to allow liquor sales after noon on Sundays.
“We’re trying to get up with the times,” Rancher explained. “We had an increase with our water bills and we’re trying to find a way to take the burdens off the citizens.”
Rancher said it was the first time they’d raised rates for water in about 13 years and he hoped increasing tax revenues from the extended liquor sales would help keep the need for further increases down.
“It’s a tough decision but the more revenue we bring in, the more we can bring prices down,” Rancher said. “We’re trying to help out citizens, and mainly our senior citizens.”
