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Ronald Gasser who was convicted in road-rage shooting death of New York Jets running back Joe McKnight, sentenced to 30 years

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Ronald Gasser who was convicted road-rage shooting death of New York Jets running back Joe McKnight, sentenced to 30 years
Gasser, 56, was charged with of manslaughter and convicted by a jury for killing of 28-year-old McKnight in Louisiana, in Dec 2016
The shooting followed a 5-mile rolling confrontation that began with dangerously aggressive driving on a bridge and ended with McKnight being shot as he stood outside Gasser’s car at an intersection in New Orleans
 Gasser  believed he did no wrong after shooting McKnight,  he calmly sat beside his car waiting for officers
Later his attorney filed a motion claiming there’s no probable cause for his client’s arrest, asking the court for the earliest available hearing … so he can show a judge why Gasser should get out of jail
McKnight was considered the No. 1 running back recruit in the country when he came out of high school in 2006
Joe McKnight 1.jpgNew York Jets running back Joe McKnight is seen during an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams in Nov. 18, 2012

A man convicted in the road-rage shooting death of former USC football player Joe McKnight was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison.
56-year-old Ronald Gasser driver convicted of manslaughter in the road rage incident  by a Jefferson Parish jury in December 2017 for fatally shooting former NFL running back McKnight, 28,  in Dc 2016. – McKnight played for two NFL teams, including three years with the New York Jets.
Gasser initially ​was charged with second-degree murder, which carries a life sentence, but he was convicted of the lesser charge last year.
Judge Ellen Shrier Kovach called the killing senseless, noting both men could have de-escalated the situation had they chosen to do so, according to the New Orleans Advocate.
“This tragedy did not need to happen,” she said.
Ronald Gasser 4.pngPolice said the fatal encounter followed a 5-mile rolling confrontation that began with dangerously aggressive driving on a New Orleans bridge and ended with McKnight being shot as he stood outside Gasser’s car at a suburban intersection. Gasser never left the shooting scene and was initially freed after more than eight hours of questioning.
Ronald Gasser [right] did not leave the scene after the shooting. In fact he argued, the was being held on a trumped-up charge of manslaughter in the shooting death of Joe McKnight. He and his attorney’s demanded his immediate release.
Gasser’s lawyer just filed a motion claiming there’s no probable cause for his client’s arrest. He’s asking the court for the earliest available hearing … so he can show a judge why Gasser should get out of jail.  At the conclusion of the case however he has been sentenced to serve three decades in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter.
McKnight was considered the No. 1 running back recruit in the country when he came out of John Curtis Christian School in Louisiana in 2006. He signed with the University of Southern California, where he ran for 2,213 yards and 13 touchdowns and caught 66 passes for 542 yards and two scores in three seasons.
In the NFL, he also played one season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent a season in the Canadian Football League, playing two games for the Edmonton Eskimos and three for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Ronald Gasser arrest 1.jpgTimes have changed in LA: Ronald Gasser [left], believed he did no wrong after shooting McKnight [right, behind tarp], in Dec 2016, as he calmly sat beside his car waiting for officers

Gasser’ defense lawyers argued he fired in self-defense when McKnight approached his car following the chase, which spanned the Mississippi River in New Orleans and later ended with gun violence in nearby Jefferson Parish.

Witnesses testified that McKnight was weaving in and out of traffic ahead of the shooting. The prosecution conceded the victim had been “driving like a jerk,” but contended Gasser escalated the situation when he followed McKnight off the highway.
“We’re not saying Mr. McKnight was perfect, but what happened on that bridge was a challenge,” said Assistant District Attorney Seth Shute .
“He, meaning Gasser, wasn’t going to let Mr. McKnight get away with it,” Shute added, noting that physical evidence proved the shooter lied to police when he said the athlete lunged at him.

Jennifer McNight 1.png“To you it might have seemed like an insignificant life to take, but it wasn’t,” – Jennifer McKnight, Joe McKnight’s mother, gives her victim impact statement.

McKnight’s mother, Jennifer McKnight, and the mother of his son, Michelle Quick, both delivered emotional victim impact statements ahead of the sentencing, WWLTV reported. “To you it might have seemed like an insignificant life to take, but it wasn’t,” the grieving mother told Gasser.

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