Louisiana State Police investigating after RPSO deputy fatally shoots individual

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - Louisiana State Police are investigating after a Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy fatally shot an individual Sunday afternoon in Alexandria.

The incident happened near 7th Street and Broadway Avenue. Multiple units from RPSO, the Alexandria Police Department, and LSP responded to the scene.

In a short release about an hour after the shooting, RPSO shared the following about the Sunday afternoon incident:

“At approximately 1:30 this afternoon, a deputy was involved in an incident near 7th Street and Broadway Avenue which resulted in a Deputy Involved Shooting.

The Louisiana State Police will be handling the investigation.”

In that release, RPSO did not share any information about the status of the person shot by law enforcement’s injuries and did not share any other details about what led to the shooting, but KALB was able to confirm that the individual who was shot by an RPSO deputy died in the incident.

While at the scene around 4 p.m., LSP did answer questions and provide what was known about the investigation so far.

“State Police will be taking care of this crime scene, we’ll be doing the active investigation, everything will be running through us,” said LSP Master Trooper Casey Wallace with Troop E. “We’re going to do everything that we can to make sure that this is a very active, very thorough investigation.”

Master Trooper Wallace shared that LSP’s Crime Scene Unit is coming up to Alexandria from Baton Rouge to assist in the investigation - adding that investigators are compiling body camera footage, eye witness statements, and other evidence for its case.

“We’re going to do everything we can to get everything logged accurately. If it takes us all night, that’s what we’ll do,” said Master Trooper Wallace. “We have to be accurate.”

At around 5 p.m., LSP Superintendent Colonel Lamar Davis was joined by RPSO Sheriff Mark Wood, Rapides District Attorney Phillip Terrell, and APD Chief Ronney Howard to give more information on the shooting.

Sheriff Wood shared that he received a text message Sunday morning from a person that showed a picture of young men walking in the 7th Street and Broadway Avenue area with extended magazines in their pockets. After that message, Sheriff Wood sent extra patrol to the area.

It is not known if the man shot by the RPSO deputy had any connection to that initial photo, but the man was pulled over in a traffic stop by RPSO - eventually leading to the deadly shooting. Law enforcement has not shared the reason for the traffic stop.

LSP Supt. Col. Davis did confirm that the man was shot by the RPSO deputy after a “struggle ensued.”

RPSO shared that the deputy involved in the incident is on administrative leave as LSP investigates.

KALB is awaiting further details on the deadly shooting and will update this article with any new information.

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