‘They Didn’t Rob a Bank’: Louisiana Father Calls Out Police for Recklessly Pursuing Shoplifter ‘Over a Few Hundred Dollars’, Causing Crash That Killed His Daughter and Another Teenager

Benjamin Smith takes his blessings where he can find them. His eldest daughter, Paris Kiper, celebrated her 22nd birthday in the hospital, hooked up to a ventilator. But she’s breathing on her own now and Smith said she’s showing signs of improvement. Last Thursday, his youngest daughter Giselle, 17, was taken from him in a car crash that also claimed the life of another teen, 17-year-old Semaj Morris. Kiper was the lone survivor. Giselle Smith (left) died in car crash while her sister Paris Kiper (right) is recovering. (Credit: Family Photo) Smith, who lost his wife to colon cancer earlier this year, said this loss is even harder to take because he believes it wasn’t necessary. The teens were killed after their 2022 Toyota Camry was hit by a speeding 2013 Mercedes GLK driven by 31-year-old Joneaka Smooth. She failed to make a right turn, crossed two southbound lanes, hit an elevated grassy median and went airborne, striking the Camry. Smooth was fleeing police. She and two other women had been identified as shoplifting suspects inside a local mall and had escaped in the red Mercedes SUV. Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the mall before they began...