BRPD completes player investigations

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Sgt. Stone, Chief White address media following morning interviews

Chris Davenport was among four players interviewed by police earlier today in the aftermath of Friday morning’s alleged fight at Shady’s.

By RICHARD FISCHER
Tiger Rag Assistant Editor

LSU football players Jordan Jefferson, Chris Davenport, Jarvis Landry and Josh Johns joined their lawyer Nathan Fisher in a meeting with police earlier today.

The players are implicated in a fight that allegedly took place at Shady’s Bar Friday morning.

Baton Rouge Police Department Sgt. Don Stone confirmed in an interview Sunday that those four players were those who police have identified as most heavily involved in the investigation.

No arrests stemmed from the meeting that lasted between two-and-a-half to three hours, according to Fisher.

The attorney added that no immediate or prospective charges were handed out either, but he refused to comment on whether the police would arrest his clients at a later time.

“I can’t say what the police are going to do,” Fisher told Louisiana Radio Network Sports Director and Tiger Rag Radio co-host Jeff Palermo. “I don’t speculate on what the police do.”

Fisher continued that he would not confirm or deny anything else that took place in the meeting, but he left it feeling optimistic.

“We felt pretty confident, pretty good after the meeting,” said Fisher. “That is not to say charges won’t be forthcoming. I can tell you there won’t be any charges today.”

UPDATE - 4:15 p.m.

Stone and BRPD Chief Dewayne White held a press conference Tuesday afternoon and said that police interviewed the players this morning as part of a “fact finding mission.”

“As a result of these interviews we have received additional information, witness information that we’re going to need to follow up on,” Stone said.

He added that BRPD had no intention of making arrests today, but he continued, “There is a good chance that when the investigation is over, arrests will be made.”

“They were quite gracious,” White said. “They came in this morning willingly. They gave their statements willingly.”

The players were interviewed separately, and Stone said the investigation could go on, “another week to 10 days.”

“[The timetable] depends on the availability of the witnesses that we have yet to talk to and any new evidence we can get before that time,” White said. “Whether we will have enough sufficient evidence to [make arrests] is yet to be seen.”

Stone later quantified the number of witnesses BRPD still needs to talk to as “a multitude,” and he disclosed the injuries of two of the victims. One has three fractured vertebrae and another has contusions to the head, nose and both hands. Stone said it is not yet known how the injuries to the victim’s hands happened, but he expects medial experts to provide BRPD with that knowledge.

The spokesman added that the players said nothing of a racial slur provoking the skirmish.