Case delayed for man accused of injuring officer, ruled not competent

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - The man accused of severely wounding a Baton Rouge police officer was ruled not mentally competent enough to proceed with his case.

The attorney for Eugene Thomas Jr., 34, of Baton Rouge, said Tuesday two state-appointed doctors found his client is not competent enough to understand any of his proceedings moving forward.

Thomas will stay at a mental care facility in Jackson, LA, where he will receive medical treatment. He has another hearing set for Feb. 7, 2019, where he will be re-evaluated. If Thomas is still deemed not competent, he could be committed indefinitely, according to his attorney.

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Thomas is charged with four counts of attempted first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder of a police officer, and felon in possession of a firearm. The incident happened in February 2018.

According to police, Thomas allegedly got out of his sister's car and shot at the car his mother, sister, cousin, and sister's friend were in. Police added he then was pursued by Officer Shane Totty. Thomas allegedly fired his weapon into Totty's car and the officer suffered facial injuries from shrapnel and pieces of glass.

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