PLAQUEMINE — The widow of an Iberville Parish deputy who was killed in an October shooting at the parish courthouse is suing the sheriff's office, the sheriff and his son, who was himself injured in the shooting, alleging negligence in the moments leading up to the shooting.

Deputy Charles Riley was killed during an Oct. 6, 2025, shooting at the parish courthouse. Riley and Capt. Brett Stassi Jr. were in the process of arresting 27-year-old Latrell Clark at the courthouse in Plaquemine.

Clark was being questioned at the courthouse in connection with an ongoing sex crimes investigation when he grabbed a gun, resulting in an exchange of gunfire that killed Riley and severely injured Stassi Jr. Clark was also killed.

The lawsuit, filed Monday by Carlye Bezet-Riley, the widow of Riley, seeks wrongful death and survival damages, saying that Stassi Jr. violated law enforcement protocols by bringing a firearm into an interrogation room and allowing his girlfriend and his daughter to sit in on the interview. 

"Everyone is answerable for their own actions and behaviors, so Captain Stassi, the Sheriff's Office will be answerable to a jury," Rob Marionneaux, the attorney for Riley's family, said.

Riley's widow's lawsuit says that Stassi Jr.'s failure to maintain control of his IPSO-issued firearm during the altercation with Clark directly resulted in Riley being shot by Clark, who used the service weapon to open fire on the deputies, as well as shooting himself.

"There are numerous police and sheriff's associations across the country, that's their number one warning, their number one statement. In interrogating a suspect, first, you never have your firearm with you," Marionneaux said.

The lawsuit also accuses Stassi Jr. of providing false statements to Louisiana State Police investigators in the months following the shooting. According to the LSP investigation report, detectives interviewed Stassi Jr. just days after the shooting. Stassi Jr. said, that at that time, Clark had shot himself in the head. But later, in December, the reports read that Stassi Jr. changed his account and indicated he fired the bullet which killed Clark. LSP's findings shared that Clark killed himself with Stassi Jr.'s service weapon.

"Clearly, it was a false statement, it's not true, it's inaccurate, and State Police found it to be inaccurate," Marionneaux said.

Bezet-Riley claims in the lawsuit that the sheriff's office did not properly train the sheriff's son and lacked procedures that could have prevented her husband's death.

The lawsuit says that, by bringing a firearm into the interrogation room with Clark, failing to secure it and allowing unnecessary distractions, Stassi Jr. violated standards and acted negligently. The lawsuit also accuses Stassi Jr. of relying on “an inexperienced, 5-week rookie” as his primary backup.

Not mentioned in the lawsuit, but noted in LSP's report, Riley and Stassi Jr. received different transport to the hospital for treatment. Riley and Clark were taken via ambulance, and Stassi Jr. was placed in a law enforcement unit.

"Why is it that one deputy got transported via police unit while the other was made to wait and be transported with the suspect by Acadian Ambulance?" Marrioneaux said. "Riley survived the initial gunshot."

In a statement responding to the lawsuit, Sheriff Brett Stassi said that "nothing about those proceedings diminishes the gratitude that the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office, my family, and I have for Deputy Riley. Deputy Riley made the ultimate sacrifice, and his courage and selflessness on that day will never be forgotten."

"We respect the right of his family to seek answers and to pursue the legal process. At the same time, we will continue to honor Deputy Riley's service, dedication, and sacrifice. Our appreciation for what Deputy Riley did that day remains unchanged, and his memory will always be held with deep respect by the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office, my family, and myself," Stassi continued in the statement.