Joe McKnight's Alleged Shooter Released Without Charge; Authorities Promise Thorough Investigation

LOS ANGELES, CA — The man who allegedly fatally shot former USC running back Joe McKnight in a suspected road-rage incident was released from custody overnight, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said Friday.

Ronald Gasser, 54, allegedly shot McKnight, 28, multiple times Thursday afternoon in Terrytown, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans.

A witness told The Times-Picayune that she left a store and saw a man in an intersection yelling at another man who was trying to apologize. The man who was yelling opened fire, at one point standing over the victim and firing again, said the witness, who declined to give her name.

McKnight did not have a gun, and there was no gun found near his car, according to the JPSO.

At a news conference Friday morning, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand disputed the witness' statement, saying there was no evidence that it happened.

"Mr. Gasser did not stand over Mr. McKnight and fire shots into him," Normand said. "The three casings were located within the vehicle. Mr. Gasser was in his vehicle when he fired three shots."

Normand said investigators have talked to the witness and have determined the statement to be "factually incorrect." Additionally, Normand said authorities have no witness account of McKnight making an apology to Gasser. He cautioned against spreading rumors and speculations on social media as it could impede the investigation.

"Once again, I cautioned you to only believe the story that comes from me, (the coroner's office) or the district attorney Paul Connick," Normand said.

Authorities said Gasser stayed at the scene and handed his weapon over to authorities. Gasser was released after he gave a statement to investigators. Normand told the community not to read too much into Gasser's release as the investigation was still ongoing.

"Because there are still witnesses that are out there, I can't go into the details as to why that is at this point in time," he said. "But we will leave no stone unturned. We've had as many as 30 to 40 officers working this investigation ... and we will continue to investigate this."

Gasser may still face charges, according to the JPSO, but the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's office told Patch the office does not comment on ongoing cases and investigations.

McKnight's family, however, is not happy about Gasser's release. One relative said she was "sick to her stomach" when she heard the news.

"I'm just disappointed how they just let him go free after he shot to death an unarmed man," Shantell Dobard, 41, told The Times-Picayune. "The system is so screwed up."

McKnight played for the Trojans from 2007-2010. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, with whom he played for three seasons. He missed the 2013 season after being released by the Jets, then played an injury-shortened season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014. He played this year for the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

Photo credit Jeffrey Beall/Wiki Commons