Prosecutors Rule Out Charging Deputies In Deadly Shooting

ST. MARTINVILLE, La. (AP) — Prosecutors in Louisiana have ruled out criminal charges in the death of a mentally ill man who was shot and killed during a confrontation with sheriff's deputies last year.

Assistant District Attorney Chester Cedars announced Friday that his St. Martin Parish office determined charges aren't warranted after reviewing evidence gathered by State Police investigators.

A police report said 32-year-old Michael Noel was killed on Dec. 21 during a struggle inside his family's St. Martinville home when he resisted deputies' efforts to take him into protective custody and drive him to a hospital.

In March, Noel's relatives sued St. Martin Parish Sheriff Ronald Theriot and the two deputies involved in the deadly encounter. Their suit claims Noel's shooting was unprovoked and the result of poor training and supervision.

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