Louisiana Stabbings: Officer Shot To Death, 3 Women Stabbed During 'Domestic Disturbance' In Sunset, Suspect Identified
A police officer was fatally shot Wednesday while responding to a call about a "domestic disturbance" in Sunset, Louisiana, where three women were stabbed, one of them fatally. The suspect, identified as Harrison Lee Riley Jr., was taken into custody by police after barricading himself for nearly an hour.
Riley stabbed his wife and two other women at a house in Sunset, a town about 60 miles west of Baton Rouge, then fatally shot Officer Henry Nelson, 51, who was the first to arrive at the scene, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz reportedly said. Riley escaped the scene of the incident in a vehicle and drove about three blocks before crashing it into a convenience store. Police reportedly released tear gas and "C-gas" into the building before taking him into custody.
The 35-year-old suspect was described by responding officers as "highly intoxicated."
"I was told by officers responding that he was high on some sort of narcotic," Guidroz reportedly said. "We're going to do a thorough investigation as to what he was high on."
The suspect, who is currently under arrest in a hospital after complaining of a hurt rib, has an extensive criminal record, Guidroz added, according to the Associated Press.
The woman who was fatally stabbed in the incident was identified as Shameka Johnson, 40. The other two women were named as Johnson's sister Shurlay Johnson, 34, who is in critical condition and Riley's wife, Courtney Jolivette Riley, who is reportedly in stable condition.
Police Chief Luis Padilla said late Wednesday that Nelson was a cousin of Riley, AP reported.
The incident reportedly began with an argument between the Rileys at the house, which belongs to Johnsons' mother. "He began stabbing the Johnson sisters when they intervened to protect his wife," Guidroz reportedly said. "Officer Nelson arrived, and a fight ensued."
Authorities reportedly said that Riley will be booked with first-degree murder in the deaths of Nelson and Johnson, and with attempted first-degree murders of his wife and Johnson's sister.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.