NEW ORLEANS — A man initially believed to be a suspect in a playground shooting here has video surveillance to thank after prosecutors dropped the charges against him on Tuesday.
Security camera footage showed 32-year-old Joseph Allen shopping in Texas with his pregnant wife on Nov. 22, the day when 17 people were shot at Bunny Friend Playground, according to WVUE New Orleans.
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“When I told y’all my son wasn’t there, plenty of people thought I was lying to protect him,” Deborah Allen, Joseph’s mother, said. “He was not there.”
Police say one eyewitness had put Allen on the scene of the mass shooting that had several suspected gunmen.
However, Allen’s attorney, Kevin Boshea, tracked down the video surveillance footage distancing his client from the shooting. Tuesday was supposed to be Allen’s probable cause hearing; instead, the state announced it was dropping the charges against him.
“I’m relieved because he’ll be home when I have my baby,” said Valencia Allen, Joseph’s wife.
Even with the charges dropped against him, Allen is still being held behind bars on parole. Boshea said it relates to an issue in Texas that he’ll address in the coming days.
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