Not cleared: Kenneth Gleason, 23, a person of interest in the fatal shootings of two black men, bonded out of jail in Louisiana on Sunday night, but police say he has not been cleared
A 23-year-old white man identified as a ‘person of interest’ in the potentially racially motivated fatal shootings of two black men in Louisiana has been released from jail after his arrest on unrelated drug charges.
Baton Rouge Police Sgt. Don Coppola said on Monday that Kenneth Gleason ‘has not been cleared’ and remains a ‘person of interest’ in the shootings. A homicide detective’s report described Gleason as a ‘suspect’ in the case.
Sgt. L’Jean McKneely has said there was a ‘strong possibility’ that the shootings were racially motivated.
On Monday, interim police chief Jonny Dunnam said in a text message that investigators ‘still don’t know for sure what the possible motive is.’
Gleason was released on $3,500 bond late Sunday.
Detectives searched Gleason’s home on Saturday and found 9 grams of marijuana and vials of human growth hormone at his house, according to the detective’s report. After Gleason was read his Miranda rights, he claimed ownership of the drugs, the document said.
Bruce Cofield (left), 59, and Donald Smart (right), 49, were shot dead in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, two days and five miles apart
McKneely said on Sunday that shell casings from the shootings linked the two slayings and a car belonging to Gleason fit the description of the vehicle police were looking for. He said authorities had collected other circumstantial evidence but he wouldn’t say what it was.
In both shootings, the gunman fired from his car then walked up to the victims as they were lying on the ground and fired again multiple times, according to McKneely, who said neither victim had any prior relationship with Gleason.
The shootings happened about five miles from each other.
The first occurred Tuesday night when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was shot to death.
The second happened Thursday night when 49-year-old Donald Smart was gunned down while walking to his job as a dishwasher at Louie’s Cafe, which is popular with Louisiana State University students, McKneely said.
Smart’s aunt, Mary Smart, said she was still dealing with the shock of her nephew’s death. Smart had a son and two daughters, she said.
She declined to comment on police allegations that her nephew might have been shot because of the color of his skin.
‘I cannot say,’ she said. ‘Only God knows.’
Terrell Griffin, 49, has a food stand in a parking lot less than a block from where Cofield was shot. Griffin said he was friends with the 59-year-old man and heard the gunshots that killed him.
Pumped with bullets: Cofield, pictured left and right, was a homeless man. His sister said her sibling was shot 14 times while sitting on a bunch
Smart was a father-of-three who worked as a dishwasher for 20 years
Griffin waited for the gunfire to quiet before he ran over to find his friend lying face-down on the ground.
He described Cofield as a smart man and said he thought he was an engineer, but had been homeless for at least a year.
‘He didn’t bother nobody,’ Griffin said. ‘It’s not right.’
Wanda Cofield, who identified herself on Facebook as Bruce’s sister, posted a photo of the victim and claimed that he was shot 14 times without any provocation while sitting on a bench.
‘WHAT KINDA SICK, FEARFUL, CRAZY, HATEFUL MANIAC HE HAD TO BE,’ she said of the gunman, whom she also called a ‘devil’ and urged black people in the US to be vigilant.
A friend of Cofield’s described him in a Facebook post as a ‘fine gentleman.’
‘The media simply refers to him as a homeless man but we knew him as gifted with humor and compassion, not simply by what he lacked,’ wrote Tim Vining.
Meanwhile, the general manager of Louie’s Cafe where shooting victim Donald Smart had worked for 20 years has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his funeral and to help his children. As of Monday afternoon, $2,800 has been donated.