Suspect charged with manslaughter in Joe McKnight shooting

(Elsa/Getty)

Ronald Gasser, the 54-year-old suspect who admitted to fatally shooting Joe McKnight, was arrested and booked on Monday night on one count of manslaughter. He now faces up to 40 years in prison.

More than 160 witnesses were interviewed over the weekend following the road rage last Thursday that left the 28-year-old, former NFL running back dead in Louisiana.

Sheriff Newell Normand shared the eyewitness accounts during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. The altercation began when McKnight cut Gasser off in his vehicle. Both men eventually drove up to each other, side by side, and rolled their windows down to argue. When McKnight stepped outside his car, he approached the vehicle and leaned into the passenger side window. Gasser then pulled out his weapon and shot McKnight three times—once in the right shoulder, the right chest, and his right hand.

Sheriff Normand said that McKnight was also carrying a weapon but investigators said they have no reason to believe McKnight made any threats.

The sheriff’s department was the subject of heavy scrutiny leading up to the arrest and Sheriff Normand actually spent more time defending the investigation and detailing abuse they received after initially deciding not to book Gasser for the shooting.