Family of Deaughn Willis demands justice at Baton Rouge City Hall press conference

Baton Rouge, LA – On Monday, July 7, the family of Deaughn Willis held a press conference in front of City Hall to demand justice. Willis was murdered by East Baton Rouge Deputy Eno Guillot in 2022. Guillot was denied qualified immunity for the murder in a ruling earlier this year. However, Guillot is still employed by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office and has not faced any criminal charges.

The family called on Baton Rouge residents to call and email District Attorney Hillar Moore, to urge him to indict Deputy Guillot and bring the case before a grand jury.

Guillot shot Deaughn in the Willis family’s home during a search for another suspect. Officers loudly banged on the door but did not announce themselves as police. Trinelle Willis stated that the mystery banging was so alarming, she actually called 911 for help.

As Deaughn Willis opened the door to discover it was police, he briefly closed the door to notify his family. Deputy Guillot then shot through the door into the home, hitting Deaughn. Trinelle Willis stated, “They shot through my residential door. My entire immediate family was in that home, so any one of us could have got shot.” Then, when Ms. Willis exited the home, the officers turned their guns at her. “I was like: I’m the one who called the police!”

As Deaughn lay injured, his mother, a trained nurse of 17 years, attempted to administer life-saving aid to her son. That was when the police ordered that she and her family evacuate the home. The police left Deaughn Willis bleeding on the ground for over 45 minutes as they searched the home. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Trinelle Willis says she won’t stop fighting for justice for her son. She recalled an interaction with her son a little over a year before his death. “He told me, ‘Mama don’t let the police mess over me, because they don’t treat us the same’… So I feel like I made him a promise,” Ms. Willis said. “I have to continue to fight.”

A number of local community organizations gathered to uplift the family’s demands, including EVOLVE Louisiana, East Baton Rouge Prison Reform Coalition, and New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police.

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