Cop Shot In New Orleans: Officer Found Dead Inside Patrol Car

Cop shot in New Orleans update – James Bennett Jr. has been identified as the New Orleans Housing Authority officer shot dead inside his patrol car on Sunday. Bennett, 45, reportedly had over 15 years experience in law enforcement.

An excerpt from a statement released by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Officer about the New Orleans police shooting talked about Bennett’s experience.

“Bennett was a former member of the JPSO [Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office] Reserve Division from April 2000 until March of 2006. He went full-time in the Second District Patrol Division for a short time, returning back into the Reserves in October 2006. In May of 2013, Sergeant James Bennett, Jr. left the JPSO to go full-time with HANO [Housing Authority of New Orleans].”

A New Orleans cop was found shot to death inside his police cruiser on Sunday morning. The Louisiana police shooting remains a mystery. The NOLA PD patrol car was found near a construction site in the Crescent City.

New Orleans police received an emergency radio call form the housing authority unit around 7 a.m. on Sunday. The New Orleans Housing Authority officials said that a patrolman had been shot.

The unidentified NOLA police officer, 45, was reportedly patroling near the Mercedes-Benz Superdome – the home of the New Orleans Saints NFL football team. The cop shot in New Orleans is believed to have been mortally wounded while he was sitting inside his marked police cruiser. The patrol car reportedly “came to a stop” after hitting a curb.

The cop shot in New Orleans will not be identified until after his next of kin have been notified. The New Orleans Housing Authority officer has reportedly been with the department since 2013.

New Orleans Police Department spokesman Garry Flot told the media that detectives are currently “investigating the murder.” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu called the death of the housing authority officer “an unspeakable tragedy, and a vile and cowardly act.”

“Tragedies that involve our men and women in uniform affect our entire city and touch every member of our law enforcement community,” NOLA Mayor Landrieu added.

Check back with the Inqusitir for more details about the breaking news story as soon as more details about the cop shot in New Orleans case become available.

[Image via: Dana Ward / Shutterstock.com]