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Louisana Teen Won’t Face Charges In Death Of “Some N-Word” He Fatally Struck While Driving Pickup
You all may recall the May 29th incident where a young white man struck and killed 31-year-old Sherrell Lewis Jr. with his pickup truck, then allegedly used the N-word to describe Lewis while joking about the incident in social media posts. Well, Louisiana State Police have decided they will not charge the 18-year-old, whose name is Matthew Martin.
According to NY Daily News reports:
Louisiana State Police said in a statement on Facebook Thursday that “a very thorough and comprehensive investigation into the crash” showed driver Matthew Martin was not violating any traffic laws or using his cell phone on May 29 when he struck Sherell Lewis Jr. with his truck.
“Martin was operating his vehicle at the posted speed limit of 55 mph, prior to the crash, and decreased his speed as he approached Lewis Jr.’s location in the roadway,” the State Police statement reads. “As Martin was nearing the scene, he switched his vehicle from the right lane to the left lane. As Lewis Jr. entered the right lane, he altered his direction of travel and began walking back towards the grass median. This action placed him in the direct path of the 2003 Chevrolet pickup.
“Injuries Lewis Jr. sustained and the front bumper damage to the Chevrolet helped to confirm the direction Lewis Jr. was walking when the collision occurred.”
Lewis Jr. was removing debris from highway 171 when he was struck by Martin’s pickup truck. He was pronounced dead from his injuries at Byrd Regional Hospital in Leesville. Lewis died on his birthday.
Terrible right?
Martin sparked outrage after photos from his Snapchat posts surfaced that allegedly show him using the N-word and worrying more about the condition of his truck than the life he’d just taken.
Martin’s alleged messages to his friend say he hit “some n—-r.”
Police referenced the “insensitive comment” Thursday, but deferred to a previous statement by Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft, who said following the crash that the crass language depicted in Martin’s conversation did not violate any laws in Louisiana.
Awful and disgusting. Did anyone expect the Louisiana judicial system to do any differently?
Meanwhile, some social media users have been asking for further forensic evidence into whether Martin tried to avoid hitting Lewis Jr., like brake marks on the road while others are asking for a toxicology report on Martin.
If you haven’t already seen Martin’s messages they are posted in the thread below.
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/1002182711723855873/photo/1
Just despicable.
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