“I Don’t Blame The Police For Killing My Son”

• 17-year-old Devon Martes was shot and killed by police after raising a gun at an officer.
• Devon's parents have said that they do not blame the officer for killing their son.
• Apparently, Devon has had a criminal record since he was 10, including attempted armed robbery. 

Devon Martes, 17, had snuck out of the house while his mother, Alesia Martes, was taking a shower, within ten minutes of leaving he had been shot and killed. His father, however, does not blame the sheriff's deputy who killed him.

The police have reported that Devon pulled a gun on an officer, who then chased him into a newspaper warehouse. All of which happened just two blocks away from his house.

There was a video that was captured from inside the warehouse that shows Devon Martes raising a gun at officer Dave Dalton. The Sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Newell Normand said that Martes had fired his gun at the officer. Yet, it malfunctioned, which caused the officer to fire his weapon six times, killing Devon.

Alesia Martes questioned the necessity of six shots from an officer when one should have been sufficient. Yet, although Devon's parents questioned the number of shots, they admitted that their son was not a victim. 

Glen Parker, Devon's father, told WDSU that he knew his son had put himself in harms way. He added later that he does not blame officer Dalton for shooting his son. Claiming that Devon had threatened the Dalton's life and he had retaliated accordingly.

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Normand said of Parker's statement, “I appreciate that statement. It’s one of the most honest statements that I’ve heard in a long, long time. It’s probably a very tough statement for that father to say that because he lost his son.”

Apparently, Devon has had a criminal record since he was ten years old. He had been previously arrested for shoplifting, distributing drugs, and attempted armed robbery. Parker, Devon's father, claimed that his son wasn't a bad person but chose the wrong circle of friends.

Devon is one of 11 children in the Martes family and the youngest of six sons. 

Officers were called to Ford Street and Cleary Avenue when calls of two men rolling tires down the street had been called in. That is how Officer Dalton got into the altercation with Devon. A string of thefts on tires and rims have been growing in Jefferson Parish, yet it is not confirmed that Devon was connected. Alesia Martes said she doesn't know who her son was with that night, but said Devon had no car and had no reason to steal rims.