Abbeville City Council fires police officer

The Abbeville City Council voted 4-0 Tuesday at a special meeting to terminate the employment of William Proctor, an Abbeville police officer involved in a shooting last December.

Abbeville City Councilman Francis Touchet was absent from the meeting.

On a motion by Councilman Wayne Landry, one seconded by Councilman Francis Plaisance, the council voted to accept the recommendation of termination made by Abbeville Police Chief Tony Hardy.

The council charged Proctor with a second offense, with “failure to perform the duties of his position in a satisfactory manner,” as read to the council by City Attorney Ike Funderburk.

Proctor has served the last two months on paid administrative leave. The city council’s move comes two weeks after a grand jury found that there was not enough evidence to indict the officer for the incident.

The shooting took place on Dec. 11. While the officer was investigating a separate case on Massena Street, a car passed, traveling at a high rate of speed. According to reports by the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office, which investigated the incident at the request of Hardy, an attempt to stop the driver by flagging him down proved unsuccessful. The officer then fired shots. No one was injured. The grand jury did indict the car’s driver, Jacado Petry, on reckless driving charges.

According to Hardy, the APD’s Internal Affairs Division completed its investigation last week. Hardy said he then brought all of the information to the city council.