A tragic confrontation took place when a man, reportedly making threats against his own life and child, led police on a pursuit that began in Gonzales and ended in a cemetery in St. James Parish Wednesday evening.
Initial Report and Welfare Concerns
It started with a call to the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office at around 2 p.m. Friday. A woman had called deputies to her Paulina home to retrieve some of his belongings. He never showed up as scheduled. Almost two hours later, the woman called authorities again and requested that a deputy return to her home over growing concerns.
When the deputies returned, the woman identified herself as the child’s mother and said she was concerned with the man and little girl’s location and safety. Authorities believe the two were traveling in a vehicle together, but their whereabouts are unknown. The incident has led authorities to increase their search efforts in hopes of protecting the child and man.
High-Speed Chase Through Parishes
About an hour later, deputies with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office spotted the vehicle at around 5 p.m. The break in the case came when the child’s mother called authorities to report new information she had been tracking the vehicle. Deputies, along with officers with the Gonzales Police Department, began pursuit while trying to stop the male subject.
The chase began in Ascension Parish and continued crossing over into St. James Parish. At this intense moment, officials were determined to see the situation come to an end without injury. Sadly, the chase did end in tragedy as the motorist turned into a cemetery and brought the car to a stop.
The Tragic Ending
In the ensuing moments, the situation would escalate into a scene the responding officers could hardly have predicted. The man allegedly turned the gun on himself and the one-year-old child. The child died at the scene, but the man was taken to the nearby hospital. His condition, at the time of the last official update, was critical.
The investigation is now being handled by the Louisiana State Police at the request of the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office. Efforts are being made to piece together what happened in what order, but also to understand the context in which such a devastating outcome wasa arrived at.
