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Louisiana Deputy Killed in Courthouse Shooting, Sheriff’s Son Fights for Life
PLAQUEMINE, La. (DailyKenn.com) — A Louisiana sheriff’s deputy died after being shot during an after-hours interrogation at a rural parish courthouse, authorities said, in a violent encounter that also critically wounded the sheriff’s son and left the suspect dead by suicide.
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Deputy Charles Riley, 33, a six-year veteran of the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office who was married with two children, succumbed to a gunshot wound to the abdomen late Monday at a Baton Rouge hospital. The shooting unfolded around 8 p.m. at the Iberville Parish Courthouse, where Riley and Detective Brett Stassi Jr. were questioning 27-year-old Latrell Mikal Ornee Clark of Baton Rouge as part of a sexual assault investigation.
During the interview, Clark fought back, seized one of the deputies’ duty weapons and opened fire before fatally shooting himself, according to investigators. Stassi Jr., who was shot in the process, was initially rushed to a Plaquemine hospital by private vehicle before being airlifted to Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center in Baton Rouge, where he remained in critical condition Tuesday.
“We lost a hero last night,” Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi Sr., the wounded detective’s father, said in a statement. “Deputy Riley gave his life protecting the community.” Stassi described Riley as a beloved member of the Uniform Patrol Division and extended gratitude to law enforcement partners statewide for their support.
The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations is leading the probe, with federal assistance from the FBI, into how Clark accessed the firearm and the full sequence of events. Clark, who had an extensive criminal history including prior arrests for violent offenses and a recent stint on an ankle monitor until April, was not formally charged at the time of the shooting.
Messages of condolence flooded in from across Louisiana on Tuesday, with agencies from the West Monroe Police Department to the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office expressing solidarity. “Every loss of an officer hits hard,” state Attorney General Liz Murrill said. “It’s another terrible example of the danger those who protect us face every day.”
Iberville Parish officials, including President Chris Daigle, hailed Riley as a dedicated public servant in a community unaccustomed to such tragedy. “This just doesn’t happen here,” said Deputy Ronnie Hebert, a 31-year veteran who called Riley “one of those guys everybody loved.”
A blood drive was organized Tuesday for Stassi Jr., as the parish rallied around the grieving sheriff’s office. Funeral arrangements for Riley were pending.
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