A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agent was shot in the line of duty while on patrol on the Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area in Ouachita Parish.
Around 6:40 p.m. Sgt. Scott Bullitt, 32, of Jonesboro, along with another agent stopped a vehicle at the end of Buckley Hill Road near the Wham Break Boat Launch. Sgt. Bullitt believed the occupants of the vehicle to be impaired and proceeded to go back to the LDWF patrol vehicle.
While walking back to his vehicle, Sgt. Bullitt was shot in the lower back by the passenger of the vehicle, later identified as Luke Jarrod Hust, 29, of Monroe. The other agent returned fire. Hust fled the scene into the woods. It is unknown if Hust was hit.
The unwounded agent was able to call for help and apprehend the driver of the vehicle, whom authorities don’t believe fired any shots at this time. The driver was subsequently brought in for questioning.
Around 7 p.m. the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on the scene and were able to take Sgt. Bullitt to a local Monroe hospital where he is listed in serious condition.
The LDWF Enforcement Division, State Police, Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Monroe Police Dept., and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection set up a perimeter and searched the area for Hust. At 11 p.m. authorities located and arrested Hust on Timber Lane Drive in Monroe.
“We are praying for the well-being of Sgt. Bullitt and his family,” said LDWF Sec. Robert Barham. “Also want to give thanks to everyone that helped locate this fugitive so that justice can be served.”
Sgt. Bullitt has been an LDWF agent for over five years and is married with no kids. He recently received the “Louisiana Highway Safety Commission DWI Award” presented on March 24. He was selected among statewide agents to receive this award due to his dedication and hard work to make Louisiana waterways and roadways safer for the traveling public by removing impaired drivers.
“This is a sad day for all wildlife and fisheries agents in the country,” said Col. Broussard, head of the LDWF Enforcement Division. “Our agents travel into remote areas patrolling public lands often and it can be a very dangerous task as we saw tonight. My thoughts at this time are with Sgt. Bullitt and his family and also the brave men and women that contributed to catching the shooter.”
Louisiana State Police will be the lead investigative agency for this shooting incident.
For more information, contact Adam Einck at 225-765-2465 or aeinck@wlf.la.gov.