MURDER ARREST
This morning, Baton Rouge Police Detectives with the assistance of the LSP Task Force arrested JACE BOYD. BOYD will be booked in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges of Second Degree Murder and Illegal use of a Weapon. pic.twitter.com/JGq3uibFXY— Baton Rouge Police (@BRPD) August 27, 2020
Police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana say they arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly murdering a 61-year-old outside of a Trader Joe’s. Jace Boyd was taken into custody for the death of Danny Buckley, cops announced on Thursday.
Cops said that the shooting happened on Saturday night at around 7:00 p.m. Buckley, found with an apparent gunshot wound, was taken to a hospital where he later died, officers said. Police announced an arrest warrant against Boyd on Tuesday for second-degree murder, and illegal use of a weapon.
The defendant told police that he had shot Buckley after an altercation, according to the arrest report obtained by WAFB. In this account, the victim approached Boyd (who was sitting in a vehicle) and asked for money. They got into an argument, and the older man walked away. Things escalated when Buckley asked for money elsewhere. Boyd allegedly told Buckley to leave two women alone; the older man was scaring them. According to this story, Buckley approached Boyd, who took out a gun and tried to open fire, but the weapon misfired. Boyd filed the chamber with another bullet and shot at the man, according to this account.
Buckley died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Police said the victim was unarmed and outside of reach from Boyd.
One of the women that Boyd was supposedly protecting told the local news outlet that Buckley got “in her space,” but she did not feel threatened.
She said that the older man had approached her and her roommate for money as they were exiting the store.
“Whenever I gave my statement, I made sure to tell them that I never felt threatened as a young woman,” said the woman, who requested to only be named as Kaylee. “I’m 21, white female, so that’s why we were so confused that why this man just felt that this was the necessary action to take. We couldn’t really believe it.”
Boyd has no attorney of record, a 19th Judicial District court clerk told Law&Crime. He was scheduled to have an initial appearance at 9am CT.
A GoFundMe campaign was started to help raise money for Buckley’s funeral. The campaign received $12,145 as of Friday afternoon.
An attorney for his family criticized police after the defendant was not immediately arrested.
“Had he been black, his mother’s house would have been searched, the door would have been kicked in,” said Ryan Thompson, according to WBRZ. “They probably would have called the SWAT team in and had him come out. We know disparities, the bias, difference in treatment.”
Boyd was white. Buckley was Black; Thomas told VICE that the man was disabled, and could “barely move.”
[Mugshot via Baton Rogue Police Department]
