One Dead After Officer-Involved Shooting

Louisiana State Police says it's investigating an officer-involved shooting in DeRidder that left one man dead.

According to an emailed news release sent at 5:05 p.m. on Jan. 30, both the DeRidder Police Department and LSP responded to two 911 calls about a Wilson Street residence on Jan. 29. One call reported a suicidal family member, and the second reported gunshots fired in the same yard.

Responding officers reportedly found 29-year-old Lawrence D. Chavez uncooperative around 11 p.m. Three DeRidder officers and one state trooper then entered the residence after Chavez refused commands to step outside:

As officers searched the residence, an officer with the DeRidder Police Department located Chavez in a bedroom armed with a handgun.  The DeRidder police officer gave loud verbal commands for Chavez to drop the weapon.  Chavez did not comply and instead pointed the firearm at himself and pulled the trigger which did not engage.  Chavez continued to ignore commands to drop the weapon and cycled another round in the firearm.  The DeRidder officer fired once in self-defense striking Chavez in the chest.  Simultaneously, Chavez turned the weapon on himself and shot himself in the chest.

Chavez was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The officer who shot him remains unidentified.