Ricco Devante Holden, 24

Converse, Louisiana
May 21, 2017

Agencies: Louisiana State Police | Converse Police Department Louisiana

Cause of death: Shooting

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Last updated: almost 6 years ago

Overview

Converse Police Chief Keith Manshack now is on paid leave after fatally shooting a Zwolle man early Sunday morning after that man got into the law officer's vehicle.

DeRicco Devante Holden, 24, was pronounced dead at 1:50 a.m. at the scene of the shooting in Converse, Sabine Deputy Coroner Ron Rivers said.

The death is being investigated by Louisiana State Police, who say a preliminary investigation indicated that Manshack was investigating a disturbance in the Sabine Parish village when he got into an altercation with Holden.

During the fight, Holden got into to Manshack's police vehicle and was shot.

Neighbors in the area of West DeSoto Avenue at South Armour Street said they heard up to three gunshots.

Justin Austin lives right next to the intersection and said the gunfire woke him up.

"Got my son, took him to my wife and I grabbed my gun."

Just down the road lives Bill Ramsdal, who said he doesn't know the neighbors who live near this intersection, "but we hear them all the time. They're always fighting over there. Screaming and yelling in the street."

"We heard the gunshots, first of all," recalled Ramsdal. "We heard three gunshots. I think it was one and then two more."

But Holden's family members told KSLA they didn't even hear about his death until up to six hours later.

"Sunday morning, I was at work at 7 a.m. that morning then I got the phone call saying that my brother has been dead," his sister, Jakedia Epps, said.

According to Epps, his family also was never told that he had been taken to University Health in Shreveport for an autopsy. Epps said she had to make all of those calls to different law enforcement agencies to find that out.

"Why didn't y'all notify us when he was pronounced dead? Who said that that was Ricco Holden? Who told y'all that it was Ricco Holden? We didn't!" she said. "We still haven't seen him and it's been a whole 'nother day!"

Others in Holden's family said they're happy to see State Police investigating this case because they demand to know what led from disturbance to deadly shooting.

"We need this investigation," said Vessa Hawkins, Holden's aunt. "We need a thorough investigation done to this shooting, this killing that has happened because it has to stop."

Holden's family told KSLA he leaves behind four children and that he was a good man who would never resist the police.

"He was a good person and they didn't have to do that to him. They didn't have to kill my brother, man," Epps said.

Rivers said the autopsy was completed Monday morning and Holden's cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound, although the number of times he was shot has not yet been confirmed. 

As far as what led Holden and Manshack into that altercation and whether or not there were more firearms into the vehicle that Holden jumped into, troopers are not disclosing those additional details at this time.

Sabine Parish District Attorney Don Burkett told KSLA he will review the case and determine if the shooting was justified.

For now, he said his office is waiting on that autopsy, more witness statements and toxicology results.