A suspect who initiated a shooting spree in Louisiana that spanned several parishes was caught Saturday night following a daylong manhunt in the local woods. The shooting resulted in the murder of a state trooper, a woman believed to be the suspect’s half-sister, and at least three other people were wounded, one of them in critical condition, Fox News reported.
According to The Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge, the slain trooper was identified as Adam Gaubert, a 19-year veteran. Gaubert was discovered inside his patrol vehicle in Prairieville, some 18 miles southeast of Baton Rouge, hours after being ambushed, according to Col. Lamar Davis, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police.
Matthew Mire Was The Suspect In The Shooting Carnage (Photo: Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office)
Trooper Gaubert Was Shot In The Early-Morning Homicide
Preliminary information suggests that Trooper Gaubert was shot and murdered in the vicinity of the early-morning homicide. Trooper Gaubert personified everything they stand for, in honor, responsibility, unselfish service, and courage, Davis added. Gaubert was shot around 5 a.m. Saturday along state Highway 42 in Ascension Parish, according to FOX 44 in Baton Rouge.
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The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office expressed on Facebook their heartfelt sympathies to Trooper Adam Gaubert’s family and the Louisiana State Police. They lost not just a fellow officer that day but also a father, a husband, and a friend, the post continued.
The suspect, Matthew Mire, 31, was sought by other law enforcement officers after they discovered the trooper’s body. After the trooper was shot, Louisiana state troopers exchanged gunfire with Mire, but Mire managed to flee on foot, according to FOX 44. According to the article, state police issued a public safety alert for East Baton Rouge and Ascension parishes, saying that Mire was considered armed and dangerous.
Wounded Civilians During Mire’s Shooting Spree
Prior to the killing of Gaubert, state police were dispatched to a mobile home park in Livingston around midnight Saturday, where they discovered a man and a woman with gunshot wounds. Authorities told FOX 8 that both were expected to recover. Authorities say Mire stole a blue pickup truck near Livingston in order to flee the scene.
Deputies rushed to a shooting near Prairieville at 3 a.m. Saturday, when they discovered another man and woman had been shot. According to FOX 8, the woman died as a result of her injuries, while the male was in severe condition. Authorities told FOX 8 that the killed lady, 37-year-old Pamela Adair, was Mire’s half-sister.
Prior to his arrest, Mire was wanted on accusations of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, unlawful use of weapons, house invasion, and illegal possession of stolen property worth up to $25,000, according to the station. Authorities stated that no reason for the shootings was immediately apparent.
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