Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto released video evidence showing 27-year-old Joshua Jamal Williams’ shooting spree at the Jefferson Gun Outlet.
The video, combined with witness accounts detail the sequence of events that began when Williams, his brother, and two minors entered the store to purchase ammunition. A store clerk noticed William’s had a concealed weapon and requested that he leave the store to clear his weapon, a common protocol in gun shops.
Witness accounts claim Williams was not confrontational and agreed to leave the building and clear his weapon, a handgun with an extended magazine. As he stands in the doorway to the store he draws his weapon and fires a single shot out across the street, then turns around back into the store and fires two rounds at near point-blank range into a customer, 59-year-old Veronica Billiot, killing her.
Lopinto said there was no heated argument that preceded the shootings, and Williams, a concealed carry permit holder, has a limited criminal record that’s basically just a DWI.
“The fact of it is that I do not know if we will ever know the why of why this happened,” said Lopinto.
Williams then exchanges fire with store clerks, exits the building, then returns eight seconds later and fatally shoots store employee, 47-year-old Noah Fiscbach. Fiscbach was lying on the ground at the time. He then works his way through the building resulting in numerous injuries before being fatally shot by store employees just outside the building.
Lopinto said contrary to initial impressions no customers fired any shots during the shootout. The only participants were Williams and seven store employees. Lopinto said those employees likely saved a lot of lives that day.
“Those employees did not come to work looking for a fight that day, they were put into a decision making process that they did not ask for but they acted calm, collectively, and really protected a lot of people,” said Lopinto.
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