A police officer for New Orleans’ public housing agency was shot and killed Sunday while working overtime to patrol an agency construction site, city police said.
The officer is the first to die in the line of duty since the Housing Authority of New Orleans’ security department became a full-fledged police force in April 2012, said Lesley Thomas, spokeswoman for the agency.
“The death of this HANO police officer is an unspeakable tragedy, and a vile and cowardly act,” Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in an emailed statement. The officer was 45 years old and had worked for the department since 2013.
The patrol car apparently had rolled one to two blocks after the officer was shot before hitting a curb and stopping, Landrieu said.
The driver’s side window was broken out and the cruiser lights were still on when responding officers found the body, reports CBS affiliate WWL-TV in New Orleans. The cruiser had apparently hit a curb. NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison said the officer’s car was found in drive.
