NEW ORLEANS, La.- The perpetrator has been identified in the case of the deputy who was shot while directing school traffic in St. Charles Parish. Department veteran Burt Hazeltine was shot multiple times while directing traffic near an elementary school in the Paradis area.
The shooter has been identified as 58-year-old Gulfport resident John Paul Devillier. Devillier was taken into custody after a short tussle with deputies.
Investigators believe the suspect suffers from a mental disorder. The Sheriff’s Office said he lives at the Value Place Motel in Gulfport and was in town for the funeral of a family member. He was also in possession of two guns.
The shooting happened near the intersection of Highway 90 and Louisiana Street in Paradis while Hazeltine was directing traffic near the J.B. Martin Middle School around 8:50 a.m.
