The family of a couple who was shot during a shooting involving Louisiana law enforcement is questioning why police were executing a search warrant at the home when no one at the residence had a criminal record.
Cynthia Soileau was struck in her face when officers from the Ville Platte City Marshal’s Office executed the drug search warrant last week, on July 31, KLFY-TV reported. Her daughters said the 45-year-old is in the intensive care unit, fighting for her life.
The duo told the news station that there’s a possibility she may never be able to talk again due to the gunshot which went through her tongue. In addition, Soileau’s husband, Sistrane Edwards, as well as deputy marshal Barry Giglio, who worked for the agency, were killed during the incident.
Edwards, 53, was also in law enforcement and worked as a corrections officer at a detention center for nearly two decades, as KATC reported. Fundraisers were created for both Edwards and Giglio.
“The worst part about this all is that we can’t even tell my mom that our stepdad passed away… yet because the doctors are scared that it’s going to affect her healing process,” Zaharias Soileau said per KLFY.
In multiple TikTok videos, Zaharias gave a run-down of what happened to her family. She emphasized that her family members “did not have a criminal record” and offered her condolences to Deputy Giglio’s family, who she says was “an innocent bystander.”
“Three families affected off of something that could have been easily prevented,” said Zaharias, who also claimed that the officers came on a no-knock warrant.
The family is also grappling with their brother, Vonteeko Anderson, being detained after being charged with first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, according to the report. Zaharias and her sister, Elise Williamson, defended their 23-year-old brother and added that the family recently moved into the residence where the situation happened after experiencing a robbery where they previously lived.
“He would never purposefully hurt anyone,” Zaharias told the outlet. “It was all out of fear. Anybody in their right mind, if you hear somebody breaking into your home, is going to assume that you’re in danger. The first instinct you’re going to have is to protect yourself and your family.”
