Louisiana man gets life sentence for police officer’s death

SHREVEPORT, La. – A Louisiana man found guilty of murder in the shooting death of a police officer will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Grover Cannon was formally sentenced Thursday in Caddo District Court, news outlets reported. Cannon was convicted of first-degree murder in November for the 2015 shooting death of Shreveport police Officer Thomas LaValley.

Cannon could have been sentenced to death, but the jury did not agree on the death penalty, according to news outlets. Therefore, the sentence automatically defaulted to life in prison.

The judge told Cannon’s counsel they had 30 days to appeal. His attorney said a motion to appeal had already been filed, news outlets reported.