AND A REQUEST FOR A SUSPENSION BY CITY COUNCIL LEADERS. WDSU INVESTIGATES JUST UNCOVERED NEW INFORMATION IN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ORLEANS PARISH COMMUNICATION DISTRICT. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TYRELL MORRIS, WHO JUST ANNOUNCED HE IS RESIGNING WHILE MORRIS IS UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL OF NEW ORLEANS. ACCORDING TO SOURCES WITHIN CITY HALL. AND THIS IS ALL ABOUT THE ALTERING OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS THAT WERE SENT TO WDSU. THIS COMES AFTER WDSU, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER CASSIE SHERM STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS. CASSIE, YOU’VE BEEN AT THIS FOR WEEKS NOW, ALMOST TWO MONTHS TO BE TOTAL. AND WE FOUND A LOT OF INFORMATION SO FAR. BUT THE LATEST WE FOUND IS THE METADATA WITHIN THESE DOCUMENTS THAT WERE SENT TO US BY OPD THAT SHOWED TYRELL MORRIS HIMSELF WAS THE VERY LAST PERSON TO MODIFY THE OPD POLICY REGARDING OPD VEHICLES, AND IT WAS ALTERED. 17 MINUTES AFTER I SENT AN EMAIL TO MORRIS ASKING ABOUT THAT ACCIDENT BACK IN MAY. FOUR DAYS AFTER THAT CRASH. NOW, AN HOUR AFTER THOSE DOCUMENTS WERE MODIFIED, HE CALLED ME AND ALLOWED ME TO RECORD HIM AND ARE YOU OKAY IF I RECORD THIS? YEAH, NO, THAT’S FINE. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. AFTER SENDING MULTIPLE EMAILS, I SPOKE TO DIRECTOR TYRELL MORRIS ON MAY 11TH, FOUR DAYS AFTER HIS ACCIDENT AND HIS OPD VEHICLE. IT HAPPENED AT 10:40 P.M. ON ELYSIAN FIELDS AVENUE UNDER THE I 610 OVERPASS. YES, I WAS AT THE INTERSECTION OF 610 AND ELYSIAN FIELDS, WHERE A VEHICLE CAME BEHIND ME. HE KIND OF ROLLED UP ON THE SIDE OF MY RIGHT SIDE AND HE CLIPPED THE PART OF MY BUMPER AND HE TRIED TO GO STRAIGHT THROUGH THE LIGHT, BUT IT WAS IN THE TURN LANE. I DIDN’T SEE HIM AT ALL BECAUSE THERE WAS NO HEADLIGHTS. BUT ANYWAYS, IMMEDIATELY ONCE WE MADE IMPACT, WE BOTH PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE. I GOT OUT, I CHECKED ON HIM. WDSU INVESTIGATES, TOOK A LOOK AT THE 911 CALL LOGS. THEY SHOW MORRIS CALLED INTO DISPATCH BUT THEN CANCELED THE CALL NEARLY 20 MINUTES LATER. NO ONE WAS INJURED EITHER OF US. I MYSELF CALLED IT IN, GAVE THE LOCATION, GAVE LICENSE PLATE INFORMATION, AND THEN WE KIND OF WAITED. BUT WE STARTED THE PROCESS OF EXCHANGING INSURANCE INFORMATION, JUST LIKE AS THE LAW REQUIRES. AND THEN THE DISPATCHER ADVISED THAT SHE DID NOT HAVE ANY UNITS AVAILABLE. IT’S GOING TO BE WAITING A WHILE. SO WE WAITED QUITE A BIT. AND I THINK ANOTHER 15, 20 MINUTES. I ASKED THE DRIVER, I SAID, HEY, THERE’S NO INJURY HERE. IT’S PROPERTY DAMAGE ONLY TECHNICALLY WE CAN EXCHANGE INFORMATION, BUT IT’S ON YOU. HE SAYS THEY THEN LEFT AND DROVE HIS DAMAGED CAR TO HIS HOUSE WHERE WE FOUND THE CAR FOUR DAYS LATER. NOW, ACCORDING TO MORRIS, HE WAS THE ONE THAT WAS HIT IN THIS ACCIDENT. BUT ACCORDING TO THE FOOTAGE THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THIS CITY CRIME CAMERA BACK BEHIND ME HERE, THAT MIGHT NOT BE THE CASE. TAKE A LOOK AT THE TOP LEFT CORNER OF YOUR SCREEN. SOURCES SAY THE VIDEO SHOWS OPD VEHICLE WAS WAITING AT THE RED LIGHT WHEN THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN. MORRIS’S VEHICLE VEERS RIGHT AND HITS THE OTHER CAR AS IT’S TURNING. AFTER STOPPING, MORRIS TURNS ON HIS BLUE EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON HIS VEHICLE AND TURNS TO PULL RIGHT BEHIND THE OTHER CAR. AND DID YOU BELIEVE THE DRIVER THAT HIT YOU HAD ANY POSSIBILITY OF BEING IMPAIRED? OH, NO. HE WAS TALKING. HE WAS TOTALLY WITH IT. HE TOLD ME HE WAS HEADING TO WORK. NOW, WHEN WE FIRST GOT THERE, YOU KNOW, I ASKED FOR HIS INSURANCE LICENSE, GOVERNMENT LICENSE. AND HE COULDN’T HE SAID HE COULDN’T FIND IT. BUT THEN HE LATER FOUND IT. AND ONCE ONCE HE HAD ALL THE INFORMATION I NEEDED, IT REALLY WAS NO REASON TO HOLD US THERE UNTIL WE EXCHANGED DRIVER’S LICENSE INFORMATION, ALL THE NORMAL STUFF IN AN ACCIDENT. AND HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO FINISH GOING TO WORK AND AT ANY POINT DURING THAT DAY, HAD YOU BEEN DRINKING? WOW. OKAY. NO, NOT RELEVANT. CASSIE, IT IS A I JUST WAS ASKING. IT’S A QUESTION. NO, I’M SORRY. I’M SORRY. CAN YOU GET OUT? I KNOW I HAVE TO. I JUST HAVE TO ASK. I MEAN, THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME THAT AN EMPLOYEE PERIOD HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. THAT’S. I JUST HAVE TO ASK IF YOUR QUESTION. IS I IMPAIRED? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I BELIEVE IN MY HOME. I’VE BEEN THERE MOST OF THE DAY. I WAS PREPARING TO GO OUT OF TOWN. SO THE QUESTION IS, WILL I IMPAIRED? ABSOLUTELY NOT. MORRIS ALSO TOLD ME HE DID NOT GET A DRUG OR ALCOHOL TEST AFTER THE ACCIDENT. SHE HAS THE PARAMETERS IN PLACE TO PROTECT OUR ASSETS AND IN THE EVENT, AS THERE IS AN INJURY OR THERE MAY BE AN ELEVATION OF OF CRIMINALITY, THERE, THE POLICY SPEAK TO IT. BUT THIS WAS A SIMPLE BUMPER. I ASKED FOR THAT POLICY ISSUED IN 2019. HE SENT ME THIS ONE THAT STATES, IF INJURIES ARE REPORTED, THE OPERATOR OF THE OPD VEHICLES MUST TAKE A DRUG OR ALCOHOL TEST AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. BUT IN MY INVESTIGATION, I GOT THAT EXACT DOCUMENT WITH THE SAME TITLE DATE SIGNATURE THAT WAS SUBMITTED IN A 2021 AUDIT TO RICHARD CPA. AND IT HAS FOUR WORDS LESS THAN THE ONE OPD GAVE ME. THE OPERATOR OF OPD VEHICLES MUST TAKE A DRUG AND ALCOHOL TEST AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IT’S MISSING THOSE FOUR WORDS. IF INJURIES ARE REPORTED. LOOKING AT THE METADATA OF THE DOCUMENT GIVEN TO ME BY OPC, IT SAYS IT WAS LAST MODIFIED BY TYRELL MORRIS AT 1244. THAT’S SEVEN MINUTES AFTER I EMAILED HIM. WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT SETS OF DOCUMENTS, SAME NAME, SAME SIGNATURE, SAME DATE. EVERYTHING’S THE SAME, EXCEPT THERE’S FOUR ADDED WORDS ON THIS NEW ONE I GOT AFTER A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? SOMEONE HAS SOME SPLAINING TO DO SO THESE DOCUMENTS, AT FIRST BLUSH, APPEAR TO BE THE SAME. WHY IS THERE A VARIANCE IN THE LANGUAGE WITH RESPECT TO THE RULE? THAT’S SOMETHING THAT THE INVESTIGATORS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DETERMINE IF THAT WAS ALTERED AFTER THE ACCIDENT, IF THAT WASN’T THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENT, THAT COULD BE A POSSIBLE STATE FELONY VIOLATION. EARLIER THIS MONTH, I ASKED MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL IF SHE BELIEVES CITY AND STATE EMPLOYEES SHOULD HAVE TO TAKE A DRUG AND ALCOHOL TEST WHEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WITH A GOVERNMENT VEHICLE. WELL, AS IT RELATES TO THE CITY, THAT’S HOW IT IS, MEANING WHEN A CITY EMPLOYEE IS INVOLVED. IN TERMS OF THE STATE, I’M THE CITY. SO I’M FOCUSED ON, LISTEN, THE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE WHO I’M ACCOUNTABLE FOR THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, THE MAYOR IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR APPOINTING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OPD, COUNCIL MEMBER HELENA MORENO VERIFIED THERE IS NOW AN INVESTIGATION INTO PUBLIC DOCUMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ALTERED STATING, QUOTE, THE INFORMATION REGARDING AN ALLEGATION OF UNLAWFUL ALTERING OF AN OPC PUBLIC DOCUMENT IS IN THE HANDS OF APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY WHO ARE CURRENTLY REVIEWING THIS MATTER. DEPENDING ON THE OUTCOME OF THE INVESTIGATION, THE COUNCIL WILL MOVE FORWARD ACCORDINGLY. I HAVE AN OFF TOPIC QUESTIONS. ONE DAY AFTER MORRIS’S RESIGNATION, I ASKED CANTRELL AGAIN ON TUESDAY. I’M DOING MY WEEKLY BRIEFING ON TOMORROW, SO I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT TYRELL MORRIS, THOUGH I THINK IT’S PRETTY RELEVANT THOUGH, BECAUSE EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT IT. SO I FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION. WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION TOMORROW, WE SURELY CAN. AND SO IF YOU THINK IT’S RELEVANT, GREAT, BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT WE THINK MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ARE EXTREMELY RELEVANT IN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS IN PARTICULAR FOR MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN ON THAT FRONT LINE RELENTLESSLY OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF THIS COMMUNITY. SO WHEN WERE YOU SO WHEN WERE YOU MADE AWARE THAT HE WAS UNDER INVESTIGATION? WHEN. NOW? WHEN I ASKED OPC ABOUT THOSE DIFFERENCES WITH THE TWO DOCUMENTS, THEY TOLD ME THE ONE AND ONLY ONE THAT THEY SENT ME, WHICH INCLUDES THE BODILY INJURIES, IS THE CORRECT AND ONLY ONE. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS. STILL A LOT OF QUESTIONS. I HAVE A QUESTION. HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO GET THAT CAM VIDEO? WAS THERE ANY PUSHBACK TRYING TO GET THAT? YOU KNOW, THAT WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS YOU WOULD HAVE THINK IT’S A CITY CRIME CAMERA VIDEO. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET IT THROUGH PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST, BUT AFTER MULTIPLE PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST, ONE OF THEM, THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO SUBPOENA THE CITY TO TRY TO GET THIS VIDEO. ANOTHER ONE TOLD ME THAT I HAD TO MAKE MY OWN POLICE REPORT BECAUSE NO POLICE REPORT WAS MADE FOR IT. AND THEN A THIRD ONE SAID IT DOES NOT EXIST. BUT OBVIOUSLY, AS YOU GUYS CAN SEE, WE WERE ABLE TO OBTAIN THAT VIDEO AND IT EXISTS. YEAH, PERSISTENCY PAYS OFF. THANK YOU. LOOKS LIKE YOU FACE SOME OBSTACLES. WE’LL HAVE MORE ON AN UPDATE FOR TOMORROW AS WELL. SO, CASSIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS FOR THAT IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION. AND YOU CAN WATCH ALL OF OUR PREVIOUS REPORTS LEADING UP TO THIS MOMENT RIGHT NOW BY GOING TO NEWS.COM.