DeQuince Brown is seeking help after witnessing a police officer fatally shoot her boyfriend, DeJuan Guillory.
Guillory, 27, sadly became the latest hashtag in the ongoing plight of police brutality Jul. 6 when he was shot by Evangeline Parish deputy Paul LeFleur. The incident happened when the Louisiana couple were approached by LeFleur while on their all-terrain vehicle in the early morning. When they weren’t able to produce their ID’s (they reportedly didn’t want to lose them while riding the vehicles and taking part in frog hunting), LeFleur got into a verbal altercation with Guillory. After an alleged shoving match, Guillory and Brown laid on the ground when LeFluer fired four shots. It isn’t known how many hit Guillory, but the father of three was pronounced dead after arriving at a local hospital.
Accounts of what happened were disputed by police, who arrested Brown for attempted first-degree murder of a police officer, The Times Picayune reports. While police claim Brown tried to grab LeFluer’s gun after the shooting, Brown and her lawyer Joe Long claim the 21-year-old jumped on the officer’s back and bit his neck, in an attempt to stop the shooting.
“Guillory was on the ground, on his belly, his hands behind his back, and the officer had a gun trained at Guillory’s back, maybe a foot or two from Guillory’s body,” Long told Pen Point News investigative reporter Daniel Banguell. “They were still arguing back and forth but Guillory was on the ground as directed. His hands were behind his back. He was not resisting. All of a sudden, a shot rang out.”
After the shooting, Brown called for help on the officer’s handheld radio. After waiting for ten minutes, paramedics arrived to the scene and reportedly didn’t use any revival practices on Guillory.
According to The Root, Gulliory worked two jobs and was on the right track after a previous arrest. Described as a good father and a kind person, his family accused the Evangeline Parish police department for digging up Gulliory’s past to paint a supportive image of LeFluer.
“You see it with other people and you try to support other people, but when it comes down to you and it’s your blood, the feeling… you really can’t explain it,” his cousin Allen Prevost told reporters. The department has released several statements about the incident and claimed to have footage of the shooting. Brown’s lawyer also told reporters that he was informed there was no footage of the incident.
Brown was jailed for five days is seeking help for legal fees. So far, just over $11,000 has been raised for her $50,000 goal.
“All praises to God for being the ultimate provider for both my family and Dejuan’s family during this difficult time,” Brown wrote on crowdfunding site, CrowdJustice. “I trusted not on my own understanding, but his to guide me through the darkness. I am grateful for his mercy. I am a firm believer that faith plus work delivers results.”
Check out her CrowdJustice page here.