Man gets 30 years for road rage killing of ex-NFL player
GRETNA, La. — The man convicted of manslaughter in the 2016 road rage shooting death of former NFL running back Joe McKnight was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday.
Ronald Gasser, 56, had faced up to 40 years in prison. Defence lawyers argued that Gasser fired in self-defence when McKnight walked up to his car following a 5-mile confrontation that began on a bridge spanning the Mississippi River in New Orleans and ended with gunfire in neighbouring Jefferson Parish.
“Let this be a cautionary tale,” Judge Ellen Kovach said. McKnight’s death could have been avoided “if either of the men had had the good sense, the courage and the wisdom to simply disengage.”
Sentencing followed emotional testimony from McKnight’s loved ones.