The Louisiana State Police Department is currently investigating two officer-involved shootings that occurred within days of each other, in the Shreveport area, with the latest incident occurring on Thursday (Feb. 9).
Yesterday, more than 30 officers arrived on the scene of a shooting near the 400 block of W Bert Kouns Industrial Loop around 4 p.m.
However, Shreveport Police Department officials say officers receiving a call about an attempted car-jacking out of Family Dollar at Linwood and Flournoy Lucas is what ultimately led to the shooting.
When police arrived at the scene, they found an individual suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. After reportedly identifying the suspect, a foot chase ensued. And at some point during the pursuit, an official stated that one of the Shreveport officers shot the suspect nearly half a mile from the original scene.
Police say the suspect’s injuries are considered non-life-threatening.
Six days before Thursday’s shooting, a second Shreveport officer shot an unarmed Black man near an apartment complex on Fullerton Street.
Alonzo Bagley, 43, was shot on Feb. 3 after police responded to a domestic disturbance call at the Villa Norté Apartments.
When two officers arrived on the scene at approximately 10:51 p.m. to speak with the domestic disturbance complainant, Bagley reportedly left the apartment by jumping from its balcony and fleeing on foot, LSD revealed in a statement.
After a short pursuit, Shreveport officer Alexander Tyler found Bagley as he allegedly made his way around a building corner. Officer Tyler fired a single shot from his service weapon, striking Bagley in the chest. He was transported to Ochsner LSU Health in Shreveport for treatment, but died shortly after due to his injury. Officer Tyler was placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
On Feb. 6, state police posted a news release saying, “The investigation remains ongoing. This process does take time; witness statements are still being obtained, and evidence is currently being analyzed.”
“At the appropriate time, further information will be released in coordination with the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office,” the release continued. “As the investigation progresses, the coordination and partnership between law enforcement and the Shreveport community is vital to obtaining a complete understanding of the events leading to the shooting incident.”
A day later, Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith spoke at a press conference and admitted that he was grieving “the loss of another life here in Shreveport.”
“When I received the call, my heart bled – as it [does] whenever a tragedy occurs here in our area. I responded immediately to the scene to find out as much as I could about what occurred,” Smith told reporters.
“And as this family mourns, my heart bleeds, and I mourn also with them,” he added. “We’ll do our very best to make sure that it doesn’t occur again. I am asking for the community to remain patient as we continue to conduct a very thorough investigation. Transparency in the investigation is a priority for our agency.”
The Lousiana State Police is the lead investigating agency into both officer-involved shootings.