LEGAL ACTION

LA Trooper Indicted in 2018 Shooting of Unarmed Teen During Traffic Stop

Kasha Domingue shot 18-year-old Clifton Dilley in the back after stopping a car for doing an illegal U-turn.

A Louisiana State Trooper was indicted Thursday after shooting unarmed 18-year-old Clifton Dilley at a traffic stop in 2018. A grand jury indicted Kasha Domingue on charges of aggravated second-degree battery and illegal use of a weapon. According to a federal lawsuit filed by Dilley’s family, the teen was in the passenger seat of the car that had been stopped for allegedly making an illegal U-turn. As Dilley tried to exit the car—which the state investigator’s office claimed was an attempt to charge the officer, but which the lawsuit claimed was an attempt to run away—Domingue shot him in the back. The incident left the teenager paralyzed. The lawsuit claims that after the assault, Domingue made several false claims, including saying the teen was armed and had attempted to run her over. Video wasn’t recorded by the trooper’s body-cam or dash-cam.

In a statement, Dilley’s lawyer said the teenager and his family “are grateful that District Attorney Hillar Moore and his office are taking this first step in the prosecution of Kasha Domingue. The family understands the difficulties associated with these prosecutions and also respects the jobs that the men and women in law enforcement do every day to protect us and keep us safe from harm. Trooper Domingue, however, caused substantial harm in this case by shooting Mr. Dilley in the back when he was unarmed and only a witness of a traffic stop.”