The Louisiana man who allegedly shot Saskatchewan Roughrider Joe McKnight in a suspected road rage dispute has been indicted on a second-degree murder charge.
On Thursday, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office in Louisiana announced that a grand jury has returned an indictment against Ronald Gasser, Jr, 55.
READ MORE: Saskatchewan Roughrider Joe McKnight killed in Louisiana shooting
Gasser was originally arrested and charged with manslaughter days after McKnight was shot and killed on Dec. 1. He was initially taken into custody and released on the day of the shooting, prompting backlash.
If convicted as charged, the district attorney said in a statement that Gasser would “face a sentence of life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.”
READ MORE: Man who says he shot Joe McKnight charged with manslaughter
As a result of the indictment, Gasser’s bond was increased to $750,000.
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McKnight, 28, was shot and killed in an apparent road rage incident in Terrytown, La. Terrytown is a suburb of New Orleans.
Later in December, at a press conference, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand described the incident.
According to Normand, the dispute between the men started on a bridge and proceeded into a New Orleans suburb, with both men driving erratically and yelling at each other. Eventually, the cars came to a stop and McKnight confronted Gasser, who was still seated in his car, the sheriff said.
Gasser pulled out a gun and shot McKnight three times, killing him. When deputies arrived, the sheriff said Gasser handed them his gun and said he shot McKnight.
The sheriff said McKnight did have a gun in his vehicle but no evidence suggested he insinuated anything about it. It was his stepfather’s gun and his stepfather’s vehicle.
At the same press conference, Normand defended the investigation and criticized derogatory remarks about the process, including racially charged comments.
McKnight was the second CFL player to be shot to death in 2016. Stampeders defensive back Mylan Hicks was killed outside a Calgary nightclub in September.
McKnight was signed to Saskatchewan’s practice roster on Sept. 26, 2016, after starting the season with the Edmonton Eskimos. He ran for 150 yards in his first CFL start on Oct. 15, 2016, as the Roughriders beat Toronto 29-11. He finished the 2016 season with 228 rushing yards and 80 receiving yards over five games with Edmonton and Saskatchewan.
He played three seasons for the New York Jets and one with the Kansas City Chiefs before going to the CFL.
With files from The Associated Press
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