Friday, March 18, 2011

Mamou, LA: Standoff ends with two dead

Posted: Mar 18, 2011 4:34 AM EDT
Updated: Mar 18, 2011 7:53 AM EDT


MAMOU, LA (WAFB) - A man who apparently killed his wife Thursday after allegedly finding her in bed with another man was shot and killed by S.W.A.T. officers when he reportedly pulled a gun on them after a lengthy standoff.

According to KLFY-TV in Lafayette, LA, the victims were identified by a family friend as Larry and Joyce Thomas of Mamou. Investigators did not officially release the names, pending notification of next of kin.

The Louisiana State Police said the whole ordeal began Thursday morning with the report of a man walking down the street with cuts on his body. When the Mamou Police Department responded to investigate around 7:30 a.m., they learned of a different man with a gun outside an apartment complex. They tried to get him to surrender, but after talking to him for quite some time, the man simply went inside an apartment.

Witnesses told officers the man was holding a woman hostage. They reported the man was the woman's estranged husband. They added the man had found her in bed with another man. Troopers did not say whether the man with the cuts walking down the street was linked to the hostage situation.

The Mamou Police Department contacted the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office and eventually, the Louisiana State Police was called in to help resolve the situation. S.W.A.T. personnel and negotiators with LSP arrived on scene and negotiations began with the suspect around 4 p.m.

Talks lasted the rest of the day, apparently without much success and authorities looked to other means to end the standoff. They reportedly saw a window of opportunity to resolve things shortly after 10 p.m. State police said members of the S.W.A.T. team went inside to arrest the man, but he grabbed a handgun and was shot to death by the troopers.

A woman was found dead inside the apartment. Investigators added it looked like she had been dead for several hours.

The case remains under investigation.

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