justice for jonah rally

community calling for harsher penality for op officer

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3 opelousas activists and community leaders came together at the st.

Landry parish courthouse today...calling for stronger action against former opelousas police officer tyron andrepont....andrepont resigned after using excessive force against then 18 year old jonah coleman.

News 1's leigha mcneil news has the story..

In october of 2019...jonah coleman says he went to opelousas general for treatment...but not soon after he was admitted he says he was repeatedly beaten by then opelousas police officer..tyron audrupont..."i still have nightmares from it, i's still haunts me sometimes.

I felt helpless at that point i did't know what was going on and i just felt like what did i do to deserve this" nats commuity activist and supporters of jonah coming together 9 months after the alleged attack asking the city council to deny aundrpont resgniation..so he can formally be fired not not recieve pension"the thing that is concerning for us is why was he allowed to be a police officer for so very long when he has the history that this officer has."

Other individuals coming forward at the rally expressing similar 3 alllegations against andrepont...nats jona's attounry daryl washington says andrepont is not the only party responsible in this incident"the city has a responsibility as well and what happened to jonah because had they take an action earlier jonah would't have been assaulted opelousas general also has responsibility in this because they were the one that called this officer to the hospital for no reason at all."

Washington adding neithr his self or the coleman famliy have seen any body camera or survalence footage.

"if the're doing their jobs properly release the video footage that way you can ease the tension in the in the community.

Ther's no reason why the video has't been released."

Jonah adding he hopes new legislation can arise from his case that would require any video evidence to be presented to the public with in 24 hours of an allged attack... though some of his nights are restless...jonah says he will not rest until justice is surved."you ca't you ca't really deal with it you just got a live with it officers take a boat to serve and protect not to serve an attack so we want this to happen to anyone else john is lucky to be alive today when so many parents have to bury their children."in opelousas leigha mcneil news 15 thank you leigha...washington says anything less than termination is unacceptable...adding the falimy continue to persue all leagal remedies... if andrepont is convicted on all malfeasance counts, he could face a maximum of 25 years in prison.