Two Louisiana police officers wounded during shootout

Residents awakened early Saturday (Feb. 13) by a shootout that left two officers and a suspect wounded said they heard dozens of shots fired during the confrontation. The conditions of the officers and the suspect were not known as of 8 a.m.

The unidentified officers were initially responding to a damage to property, domestic related complaint in Melrose East. A source said the suspect showed up at his girlfriend’s house where she lives with her mom and her mom’s boyfriend.

When police arrived, Smith drove off. The officers chased him.

The two officers – one of whom has since been released from the hospital – chased Calvin Smith for about six minutes before the suspect skidded to a halt and emerged from the vehicle wielding a rifle, said District Attorney Hillar Moore III.

Details about Smith’s injuries and cause of death were not immediately available. While there is partial evidence pointing to that, Moore said Smith’s motivation can not be confirmed at this time.

A woman who identified herself at the crime scene as a close family friend of the suspect said he had a mental illness and had been hospitalized recently for suicide.

The 31-year-old Starwood says “you could tell they were from different guns”.

According to the Associated Press, Smith is on probation for a 2014 conviction in Baton Rouge for indecent behavior with a juvenile.

“[The officers] are fortunate they are alive”, Moore said.

Chambers said Smith has been grappling with “mental issues” and had attempted suicide before he moved from Shreveport to his native Baton Rouge.

“Clearly the suspect initiated the firing”, Moore said, calling the attack an “ambush” and adding that an investigation will “look at everything” to make an official determination.

Walker said she does not understand what would have made Smith fire at the officers. One officer was equipped with a body camera, but it may not have been activated before the firefight broke out. As is standard procedure after any police shooting, both officers have been placed on paid leave.

It remained unclear Sunday how Smith obtained the weapon used in the shooting. He says all he heard was “sirens, gunshots and tires squealing”.