In the summer of 2015, a domestic disturbance in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward escalated into a fatal encounter between a 60-year-old man and a police detective. On Saturday, July 25th, Christopher Olmstead, a white male, was shot and killed by New Orleans Police Department Detective Timothy Bender. The incident began with reports of a domestic dispute between Olmstead and his wife.
Witnesses stated that the situation spilled out into the neighborhood, with Olmstead driving his pickup truck erratically, striking houses and parked cars.
A neighbor flagged down Detective Bender, who was in the area working on an unrelated case. According to the police account of the events, when Detective Bender confronted Olmstead, a physical altercation ensued. It was during this struggle that the detective discharged his weapon, fatally wounding Olmstead. It was later confirmed that Christopher Olmstead was unarmed at the time of the shooting. Following the incident, Detective Bender was placed on administrative reassignment pending the outcome of an investigation into the deadly shooting.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Christopher Olmstead's wife, Marjorie, painted a different picture of the man and the circumstances that led to his death. She described her husband as a man who was mentally ill and contended that the fatal shooting could have been entirely avoided. She firmly stated that her husband was not a threat and that his mental state was a significant factor in the events of that day.
Despite the initial reports of an investigation, publicly available information does not specify the outcome of the inquiry into Christopher Olmstead's death. Details regarding the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office's decision on whether to file charges against Detective Timothy Bender have not been made public. Similarly, information concerning any disciplinary actions that may or may not have been taken against the detective by the New Orleans Police Department is not readily available in online sources. Furthermore, there is no accessible information detailing any subsequent legal claims or lawsuits filed by the Olmstead family in connection with his death.
