Man convicted of murder in death of NOPD officer

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams announced a conviction in the 2020 shooting of an NOPD officer.

Senior Police Officer Trevor Abney initially survived the shooting but died two years later from complications related to the injury.

The jury found 48-year-old Donnel Hassell guilty on all counts: second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, obstruction of justice and discharging a firearm during a violent crime.

On Oct. 20, 2020, while sitting in his unit in the French Quarter, Abney was shot in the face after Hassell ambushed him and his partner .

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Hassell fired at the cops from a pedicab and then ran.

His partner sustained minor injuries during the shooting whereas Abney spent the next two and a half years in recovery because of the bullet piercing his brain.

Charges against Hassell were upgraded after the 34-year-old passed away last year.

Williams called the case complicated since Abney wasn't fatally shot, but prosecutors were able to rely heavily on the evidence, which included video footage of the shooting.

"We were able to show that every camera angle supported the fact that [Hassell] knew what he was doing," said Williams. "The DNA on the gun, we were able to link that, although he tried to dispose of it."

The defense tried to argue their client had experienced delirium during the shooting, but the jury wasn't swayed. Prosecutors called the shooting deliberate and calculated and that Hassell's motive was hate.

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A second-degree murder conviction in Louisiana comes with a mandatory life sentence.

Abney's superiors say they're most grateful for the sacrifice he and his family made.

"The members of this community and this department and the district attorney's office are not going to let his memory fade into the background, so as we stand here today, again, thank you," said NOPD Deputy Superintendent Nicholas Gernon. "This was a very, very difficult case, but it's a good demonstration as to how the police department and the district attorney's office work together."

Abney is survived by his wife and parents.

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