White, part-time Mississippi sheriff’s deputy sued for aiming assault rifle at black man during traffic stop
Published 7:35 am Saturday, August 17, 2019
- This photograph from a deputy’s body cam that is included in a federal lawsuit filed against Stephen Guido and Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten shows Guido allegedly pointing an assault rifle at the plaintiff Triand “Tron” McCoy.(submitted)
On the morning of Feb. 1, Triand “Tron” McCoy dropped his son off at school in Natchez, drove to the bluff and parked his truck in a public parking spot on Broadway Street overlooking the Mississippi River.
That was his custom, states a lawsuit McCoy filed in federal court July 23 against Stephen Guido and Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten, individually and in his official capacity, along with Mississippi Drilling Inc. and “John Does.”
“Mr. McCoy is a single father and the sole caregiver for his disabled mother,” the lawsuit states, “and Mr. McCoy used these brief moments alone each morning to relax, reflect and gather his thoughts for a moment before starting his work day as the investigator for the District Attorney for the 7th Judicial District Court of Louisiana.”
As McCoy sat in his truck that Feb. 1 morning, Adams County Sheriff’s Office Reserve Deputy Stephen Guido, driving an SUV owned by Mississippi Drilling Inc. of which Guido is the president, parked his vehicle diagonally in front of McCoy’s vehicle prohibiting McCoy from driving forward, the lawsuit states.
“Guido had instructed another deputy to pull behind Mr. McCoy so that he would be trapped,” the lawsuit states. “Guido, dressed in body armor with “SHERIFF” emblazoned across the chest and armed with a Bushmaster AR15-style assault rifle, a .45 caliber handgun and an X26 model TASER, then jumped out of the SUV and aimed the assault rifle at Mr. McCoy, as seen in the screenshot from Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy Ricco Carter’s body camera footage of the assault.”
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi Western Division, further states that Guido cursed at McCoy, “threatening that he would shoot Mr. McCoy if he moved and demanding that Mr. McCoy identify himself.”
Other deputies arrived on the scene and Guido eventually lowered his assault rifle before taking up his Taser.
“While holding his TASER at the ready, Guido continued to yell and curse at Mr. McCoy, demanding to know what he was doing parked in a public space on North Broadway,” the lawsuit states. “Guido is a white male, while Mr. McCoy is African-American.”
