BREAKING: Suspect dead, Denham Springs police officer in critical condition after shooting

DENHAM SPRINGS, La. (BRPROUD) — A suspect is dead and a Denham Springs Police Department officer is in critical condition after exchanging fire on Thursday, May 11 in Denham Springs.

Denham Springs Police Chief Rodney Walker said his officers were dispatched to a disturbance near a shopping center along South Range Avenue near I-12 at a 6 p.m. news briefing. He said the suspect, later identified as Justin Roberts, 30, of Denham Springs, started firing on the officers with a gun and the police returned fire.

From there, Walker said, the suspect fled the scene.

"One of my officers is in critical condition at the hospital," he said.

Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said at the news conference that deputies intercepted the vehicle at another point. Roberts was shot in the earlier exchange, and he was taken to a local hospital.

Around 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook that Roberts died from his injuries.

"I know there's a lot of questions. Everybody's got questions about this. We have our own questions. We ask y'all to be patient as you can with us while we work through this scene. We'll get you the answers as quickly as we can, and we're working as diligently as we can to work through this," Ard said at the briefing.

Shortly after the shooting, there was heavy law enforcement presence in front of the Petco store in a shopping center along South Range Avenue near I-12. Multiple law enforcement agencies were at the scene, including Louisiana State Police, Denham Springs PD and LPSO.

"As I said earlier, lots of questions still to answer in this case. Weather is obviously a factor. We are continuing to process the scene with our partners," Ard said in the statement announcing Roberts' death.

Walker and Ard asked for the community's prayers for everyone involved.