Deputy Shot While Serving Protective Custody Order

Abbeville, LA – A Vermilion Parish sheriff’s deputy was rushed to a Lafayette trauma center after being shot while trying to serve an order of protective custody on Wednesday.

The incident occurred near the intersection of Greene Avenue and Schlessinger Street at approximately 12:20 p.m. on March 3, The Advocate reported.

The Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office (VPSO) deputy was accompanied to the residence by Abbeville Police Department (APD) officers, who were in another vehicle.

The deputy intended to serve an order of protective custody on an individual at that location, Louisiana State Police (LSP) spokesperson Trooper Thomas Gossen told reporters, according to The Advocate.

The document, which is signed by a coroner or a judge, is an order used to commit individuals suffering from substance abuse or mental health issues to a treatment facility or for an immediate examination, The Advocate reported.

According to state law, such orders can be issued in situations where a person is “in need of immediate treatment to protect the person or others from physical harm.”

When they arrived at the scene, a man inside the home opened fire on them, hitting the deputy before he was able to reach cover, Trooper Gossen said.

The suspect then emerged from the house, aiming a rifle at the law enforcement officers, and headed out into the street where they were positioned behind their patrol vehicles, The Advocate reported.

The wounded deputy returned fire, fatally wounding the gunman, according to Trooper Gossen.

The suspect died at the scene.

The deputy was rushed to a local hospital before he was transported to a Lafayette trauma center, The Advocate reported.

He has since been released from the hospital, according to KATC.

His name has not been released, nor has the identity of the suspect.

A neighbor, Kirk Robinson, told The Advocate he had known the gunman since they were children.

Robinson said the man was a father of two sons, and that he suffered from PTSD as a result of serving overseas in the military.

He said he was heartbroken to learn of his death, and described him as a humorous, easygoing person, The Advocate reported.

The LSP is handling the ongoing investigation into the officer-involved shooting, according to the Daily Advertiser.