Investigators are looking into whether one of the two Louisiana marshals charged in the fatal shooting of an autistic 6-year-old had a conflict with the boy's father, a law enforcement source told NBC News on Tuesday.
The marshals — Derrick Stafford, 32, and Norris Greenhouse Jr., 23 — have been charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in the Nov. 3 shooting that killed Jeremy Mardis and left his father, Chris Few, severely wounded.
Megan Dixon, Few's girlfriend, has told several news organizations that Few and Greenhouse had a history. Dixon over the weekend told a local newspaper that Greenhouse, a former high school classmate, had started messaging her on Facebook and had come by the house that she and Few were sharing at the time.
"I told Chris, and Chris confronted him about it and told him, 'Next time you come to my house I'm going to hurt you,'" Dixon told The Advocate of Baton Rouge.
NBC News has not yet verified the information and quote in the newspaper's report.
A source close to Few has told NBC News that before the encounter with authorities, Few had an argument with Dixon outside a local pool hall, TJ's Lounge. After leaving, Few picked up his son from a babysitter's house.
The chase began shortly afterward — although it remains unclear why the marshals, who are tasked with serving warrants, pursued Few. State police said that there are no warrants for his arrest.
Stafford and Greenhouse are being held on $1 million bond each at the Avoyelles Parish jail. If they make bond, they will be confined to home detainment with electronic monitoring, according to Avoyelles court documents.
Stafford is a lieutenant with the Marksville Police Department and Greenhouse is a full-time marshal for the nearby city of Alexandria.
Avoyelles Parish District Attorney Charles Riddle recused himself from the case Monday because the assistant district attorney is Greenhouse's father, according to a motion of recusal.
Body camera video reviewed from the incident led to the charges against Stafford and Greenhouse, said Col. Michael Edmonson, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police.
"I can tell you, as a father, it was one of the most disturbing things I've witnessed," Edmonson said of the footage.
The FBI and the Department of Justice are assisting Louisiana State Police in its investigation.
