NAACP claims Black Man Accused of Shooting Assumption Parish Deputy is Innocent

The NAACP said Monday a man charged in connection with the shooting death of an Assumption Parish deputy is innocent. Byron Meads is accused of wrestling for a deputy's gun and causing the weapon to fire and kill Sgt. Jeremy Newchurch. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People officials said Meads never had control of the gun and that they believe a fellow deputy accidentally shot and killed Newchurch. The NAACP has sent a letter to the FBI asking for an independent investigation into the case. Leaders claim Meads was also severely beaten by sheriff's deputies. "I can assure you that the NAACP will do everything in our power to see that Byron Meads is freed from jail," said Jerome Boykin of the NAACP. Members of a narcotics task force were trying to arrest Meads at the time of the incident because they believed he was dealing drugs. State Police investigated the shooting, but Byron Meads' attorney said investigators only have one side of the story. [MORE] and [MORE]