Gerald Washington

This article is about the politician. For the Mexican-American boxer, see Gerald Washington (boxer).

Gerald Washington (c. 1949—December 30, 2006) was the mayor-elect of Westlake, Louisiana, until he was shot and killed on December 30, 2006. He was scheduled to take office on January 2, 2007, as the first black mayor in the city's history, elected by voters who were over 80% white.

Biography

He was scheduled to take office on January 2, 2007, as the first black mayor in the city's history, elected by voters who were over 80% white. His death triggered accusations that he was the victim of a racially motivated murder, although the Calcasieu Parish coroner ruled the death a suicide. He was killed by a single gunshot from his own revolver, and powder was found deep in the wound, which, according to the coroner, indicated that it was pressed against his chest at the time, a sign of suicide. His family accused the Sheriff's office of doing a poor job, and asked the state police to step in for a more thorough investigation.

Death

The state police report totalled more than 800 pages of documents, and included both additional physical evidence, such as the pattern of blood spatters, and investigation of possible motives. According to the investigation, Washington had gambled away hundreds of thousands of dollars from his retirement account, owed about $50,000 to the IRS, and had been sleepless and depressed in the weeks leading up to his death.[1] The family acknowledged that the report was mostly accurate, but remained unconvinced, citing the fact that the fire department had been called in to wash his truck off the night his body was found as a sign of a coverup.[2]

References

  1. ↑ KPLC-TV Lake Charles/Lafayette, Louisiana: Hurricane Rita Video/DVD - D.A. Closes Gerald Washington Case
  2. ↑ KPLC-TV Lake Charles/Lafayette, Louisiana: Hurricane Rita Video/DVD - Washington Family Speaks Out About State Police Investigation

External links


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