A police officer was fatally shot Friday evening while working security during a high school basketball game in Louisiana.
New Orleans police responded to the incident around 6:15 p.m. after receiving a call notifying them of an officer in danger. Upon arrival, authorities found the victim, a Tulane University police officer and reserve New Orleans Second City Court constable, with a gunshot wound to his chest.
The officer was taken to a hospital where he died of his injuries.
New Orleans police arrested a suspect, who they said got into an altercation with a staff member while trying to enter the game at George Washington Carver High School.
Police said the suspect pulled out a gun and shot the officer when he tried to escort him out of the building. The school was put on lockdown after the shooting, news outlets reported, and the game was ultimately called off.
“All spectators, families, and players are safe — a testament (to) the officer, outside security support, school staff, and systems in place," the high school said in a statement.
Authorities did not immediately identify the suspect or name the fallen officer pending the completion of an autopsy and notification of his family, New Orleans police said.
George Washington Carver High School said the officer was “a fixture at Carver sporting events and parades." The school also said it would offer resources to anyone in the Carver community who needed support in the wake of the shooting.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman shared his condolences on Twitter Friday night.
"The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office mourns the loss of the deputy constable killed tonight in the line of duty," he said in the post. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the 2nd City Court Constable at this difficult time."
The officer was one of two killed Friday in the United States. A Virginia police officer was fatally shot during a traffic stop, according to authorities.
Officer Dominic “Nick” J. Winum, 48, of the Stanley Police Department, was shot and killed by a driver before he could get out of his patrol vehicle, the agency said. Winum was later pronounced dead at the scene around 3:15 p.m. Friday.
The driver, Dakota G. Richards, 29, of Stanley, was found hiding in a barn after running from the scene, WHSV, NBC's affiliate in Richmond, Virginia, reported. Page County sheriff’s deputies shot Richards after he allegedly made a threatening movement, authorities said. He died from his injuries.
