NOPD officer Joshua Colclough has been indicted on a charge of manslaughter.
Colclough shot and killed 20-year-old Wendell Allen back in March, during a police narcotics raid on a home in the 2600 block of Prentiss St. in Gentilly. Allen was unarmed.
There had been talks toward a plea deal for Colclough that would have avoided such charges. He was expected to plead guilty to negligent homicide, in exchange for a five-year sentence. But the officer balked at such an arrangement this week.
A grand jury handed down the manslaughter indictment Thursday.
"The court set a bond in the amount of $300,000 and has issued a warrant for his arrest," reads a news release from the Orleans District Attorney's office.
NOPD released the following statement from Supt. Ronal Serpas:
"As I've said publicly many times, the loss of life is tragic and affects us all. Our investigators conducted a fair, thorough and transparent investigation into the death of Wendell Allen. Once we had all the facts available to us, we turned them over to the District Attorney's Office. With the indictment handed down today, Joshua Colclough will be placed on emergency suspension without pay until the Public Integrity Bureau can determine his suitability for continued employment. Additionally, the necessary administrative review of the events which resulted in Mr. Allen's death are pending the conclusion of the criminal charges filed today." - Superintendent Ronal W. Serpas
