MARKSVILLE, La. (AP) — A police officer who witnessed two city marshals open fire on a 6-year-old autistic boy and his father told investigators he didn't fire his own weapon because "he didn't fear for his life," according to a court filing released Thursday. 
 
 FILE - These undated file booking photos provided by the Louisiana State Police shows Marksville City Marshal Derrick Stafford, left, and Marksville City Marshal Norris Greenhouse Jr. Stafford and Greenhouse... (Associated Press) 
 
 Marksville Police Sgt. Kenneth Parnell III's statement was disclosed in documents released by Louisiana Attorney General James "Buddy" Caldwell's office following the indictment on murder charges of the two marshals, Norris Greenhouse Jr. and Derrick Stafford. 
 
 The document also said Parnell's body camera shows that "Christopher Few's empty hands are raised and visible inside the vehicle when gunfire becomes audible." Few was critically wounded by two gunshots, while his son, Jeremy Mardis, received five gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. 
 
 Police say Stafford, a full-time police lieutenant, and Greenhouse, a former police officer, were moonlighting as deputy city marshals in Marksville on the night of Nov. 3 when they fired at least 18 rounds at a car driven by Few. 
 
 Stafford and Greenhouse were arrested on second-degree murder charges last month but not formally charged until Thursday. The indictment handed up by an Avoyelles Parish grand jury charged Stafford, 32, of Mansura, and Greenhouse, 23, of Marksville, with one count each of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. 
 
 "The body camera video is approximately 13 minutes and 47 seconds long. At approximately 26 seconds into the video, the driver, Christopher Few's empty hands are raised and visible when gunfire becomes audible," the document states. 
 
 Caldwell vowed Thursday to "continue (a) detailed and thorough investigation as we prepare for trial." 
 
 The boy's grandmother wept as state District Judge William Bennett read the indictment aloud in court. 
 
 "We don't get Jeremy back, but we got what we wanted today," Cathy Mardis said. 
 
 Earlier, she spoke to the news media outside the courthouse, calling for the release of the body camera footage of the shooting and describing the pain the shooting had inflicted on the family. 
 
 "It's been pure hell. I can't explain what it's like to bury your 6-year-old grandchild," said Mardis, 46, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. 
 
 Bennett lifted a gag order on people involved in the case but prosecutors declined to disclose any additional details about the incident or describe what the video depicts. 
 
 Defense attorneys said prosecutors haven't turned over any evidence for them to review yet. 
 
 George Higgins III, an attorney for Greenhouse, said, "We've yet to see any evidence for ourselves. I just know there's a lot more to this story than what has been talked about." 
 
 Jonathan Goins, a lawyer for Stafford, declined to describe his client's account of the incident, but said evidence will show he "acted in a very lawful way." 
 
 State Police Col. Mike Edmonson cited the video when he announced the arrest of the two officers, calling it the most disturbing thing he's seen. But he gave no indication of what's on the video. 
 
 Last month, an attorney for Few told The Associated Press that video from another officer's body camera showed Few had his hands up inside the vehicle and didn't pose a threat when the officers opened fire. The judge hearing the case then swiftly imposed a gag order, keeping those involved from speaking to the media. 
 
 Cathy Mardis said she has not seen the tape and can only imagine what is on there but added: "I thank God the tape is there." 
 
 "I want justice for Jeremy. I want justice for Chris," she said. She said the family had an open casket funeral for her grandson even though there were signs of trauma on his body. 
 
 She quoted the funeral director as saying, "Don't touch his head. It might fall back apart." 
 
 The grandmother wore a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt, in honor of her grandson who loved the characters. Standing by her side outside the courthouse was Samantha Few, the mother of Chris Few. 
 
 Cathy Mardis spoke lovingly of her grandson. He was autistic and non-verbal but very bright, she said. 
 
 "He was the most loving child you could have met. He was always smiling and happy. He taught himself to read at 3 years old just from watching YouTube," she said. Jeremy Mardis has a younger sister who still cannot understand what happened, the grandmother said. 
 
 "She's still asking to see her brother every day," she said. 

 A grand jury met in Marksville Thursday to consider charges against two deputy city marshals charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a 6-year-old boy. 
 
 
 
 A police officer who witnessed two city marshals open fire on a 6-year-old boy and his father told investigators he didn't fire his own weapon because "he didn't fear for his life." 
 
 
 
 Marksville Police Sgt. Kenneth Parnell III's statement was disclosed Thursday in a court filing released by Louisiana Attorney General James "Buddy" Caldwell's office following the indictment on second-degree murder charges of the two marshals, Norris Greenhouse Jr. and Derrick Stafford. 
 
 
 
 The document also said Parnell's body camera shows that Christopher Few's empty hands are raised and visible inside the vehicle when gunfire becomes audible. Few was critically wounded by two gunshots, while his six-year-old son, Jeremy Mardis, received five gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. 
 
 
 
 Stafford and Greenhouse were arrested on second-degree murder charges last month but not formally charged until Thursday. 
 
 Attorneys for the Few family say they are pleased with the decision and they look forward to the justice process being played out. 
 
 On the other hand, Stafford and Greenhouse's attorneys maintain their clients' innocence. 
 
 "We expected, to be frank, that this would happen because probable cause is a much lower standard than proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt," said Norris Greenhouse's attorney Alex Higgins. 
 
 "There's been a rush to judgment in this case. I do not believe that this case has been properly vetted by the authorities. Had it been, I dont believe it would have even went before the grand jury," says Jonathan Goins, the attorney for Derrick Stafford. 
 
 

 A Louisiana grand jury on Thursday returned an indictment on second-degree murder against two marshals involved in the deadly shooting of a 6-year-old boy in Marksville last month, prosecutors said. 
 
 Norris Greenhouse Jr., 23, and Derrick Stafford, 32, are charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder for their alleged roles in the Nov. 3 shooting that killed Jeremy Mardis. 
 
 Law enforcement officer Derrick Stafford, left, and Norris Greenhouse, Jr. have been arrested on charges of murder and attempted murder over the fatal shooting of a six-year-old boy in Louisiana, officials said. Louisiana State Police 
 
 Police have said the shooting occurred at the conclusion of some sort of pursuit as the marshals fired into a car driven by the boy's father, Chris Few, who was wounded. 
 
 Body camera video that captured the shooting led to the arrests, police said. Louisiana State Police superintendent Col. Michael Edmonson called the video "extremely disturbing." 
 
 Greenhouse is a full-time marshal for the nearby city of Alexandria, and Stafford is a lieutenant with the Marksville Police Department. Both were working second jobs as Marksville marshals when the shooting occurred. 
 
 "Today's indictments will allow the state to move forward in the process of seeking justice for Jeremy Mardis and to hold accountable those who are responsible for his death," Attorney General James "Buddy" Caldwell said in a statement. 
 
 Second-degree murder carries a mandatory punishment of life in prison without parole, the attorney general said. A charge of attempted second-degree murder carries up to 50 years in prison. 
 
 Greenhouse is free on $1 million bail, while Stafford remains jailed.
– A grand jury has indicted two Louisiana city marshals on second-degree murder charges in last month's shooting death of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis. Police say ex-cop Norris Greenhouse Jr., 23, and Marksville police Lt. Derrick Stafford, 32, were moonlighting as Marksville city marshals when they fired into a vehicle driven by Jeremy's father, Chris Few, who was unarmed, reports NBC News, which notes that the charges carry a mandatory punishment of life in prison without parole. In a court filing released Thursday, a police officer who witnessed the incident says he didn't fire his own weapon because "he didn't fear for his life," KATC reports. The court filing also confirmed that body camera video from the incident, which state police investigators have called "extremely disturbing," shows that Few had his empty hands in the air when police opened fire, per KATC. Few was shot twice and critically injured, while his autistic son was shot five times and died at the scene. Outside the courthouse, Jeremy's grandmother called for the release of the video and said the shooting has been a living nightmare for the family, the AP reports. "It's been pure hell. I can't explain what it's like to bury your 6-year-old grandchild," she told reporters, adding that Jeremy's younger sister doesn't understand what happened and is "still asking to see her brother every day."