A tragic incident unfolded on Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans after a man, suspected of shoplifting, fatally stabbed himself while being pursued by police officers. The event took place yesterday morning when NOPD officers, working a paid detail were flagged down to respond to a shoplifting report around 10:45 a.m., as WDSU reports.
The man, who was armed with two knives, attempted to flee when approached by the officers. During the chase, he started to stab himself in the neck multiple times. An attempt to use a taser by the officers in an effort to subdue him was unsuccessful, leading to tragic results, WWLTV detailed.
Following the incident, NOPD's Force Investigation Team initiated an internal probe to understand the sequence of events that led to the man's death, now classified as a suicide but still under investigation as an "in-custody death," as per WDSU. As the WWLTV article mentioned, "Officers tried to disable the man using a taser, but were not able to stop him from harming himself."
The man received immediate medical attention at the scene from the officers, and was subsequently taken to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. Despite the quick response, of the officers and the arrival of emergency services, the man's life could not be saved. As Fox8Live report, officials have yet to release the identity of the man.
Monitoring the incident, representatives from both the Independent Police Monitor (IPM) and the Federal Monitor were present on the scene to oversee the NOPD's handling of this distressing matter. The oversight by these entities ensures a stringent assessment of police conduct during such critical events. According to what NOPD told WDSU, no officers were injured during the incident.
