2 police dead, 5 arrested in Louisiana shootout

Being accused of a serious crime is a life-changing occurrence. When that crime involves the death of a police officer, the need for a comprehensive and focused criminal defense eclipses all else. A recent incident in Louisiana has ended the lives of two sheriff’s deputies and wounded two others. At the time of this report, police have taken five individuals into custody and are no longer searching for additional suspects in the case.

The exact details surrounding this event remain unclear. It appears that a sheriff’s deputy was working off-duty to provide traffic and security services at a parking lot used by workers for the Valero St. Charles Refinery. While working in this capacity, it is believed that a gunman fired on the officer for unknown reasons, wounding him.

A witness called in a description of a vehicle thought to be fleeing the scene. Additional deputies began a search for the vehicle, and eventually found it in a nearby trailer park. They handcuffed an individual who was outside the residence, then approached the door of the trailer. The preliminary investigation suggests that an individual answered the door, and then another person came out of the trailer and opened fire on the sheriff’s deputies with what is described as an assault weapon, killing two of the officers. In the exchange of gunfire, two suspects were also shot before Louisiana police were able to gain control of the scene.

The suspects have not yet been identified, and it is unclear whether all five were arrested at the scene of the shootout. There is also no word on a potential motive for the initial shooting that apparently sparked this incident, or any connection between the suspects and the officer or anyone who was present at the parking lot where the first gunshot was fired.

When police officers are injured or killed, those accused of the crime are often heavily scrutinized by the public. As these individuals move forward through the legal process, it is imperative that they receive a comprehensive criminal defense concerning the charges against them. As with anyone accused of a serious crime, they have the right to a fair and unbiased trial in an impartial court of law.

Source: Journal Star, “2 sheriff’s deputies dead, 2 hurt in La. shootout,” Aug. 16, 2012