Zachary Police Officer Killed in Parking Lot Hit-and-Run
Sad news out East Baton Rouge Parish after a reserve Zachary Police officer was killed last night after being run over in a Walmart parking lot in Baker.
Officers were working a drug investigation when two of the officers tried to make contact with a person driving a box truck. As the suspect was trying to drive away, the reserve officer was pinned between the truck and grocery cart equipment. As the suspect continued to drive away, the officer was run over and killed.
The officer has yet to be identified, but authorities said the man was a reserve officer with the Zachary Police Department and a full-time firefighter for the city of Zachary.
"Everybody's taking it rough," said East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux. "I, unfortunately, have been through this more than once. It's not an easy thing to go through."
Eyewitnesses said good Samaritans tried to help the officer.
"There [was] a lady who used her shirt to try to cover his body and stop the bleeding. She was crying and I tried to comfort her when I came out here," a witness said.
The suspect who was wanted had been sought by law enforcement all day in an operation that also involved Louisiana State Police.
Two suspects were eventually apprehended Monday night and questioned at the Violent Crimes Unit at State Police headquarters. Investigators were still speaking with witnesses late into the night.
Authorities said they expect to release more information on Tuesday.