Shreveport Police Chief Smith Issues Statement About Man’s Death

Get our free mobile app

SHREVEPORT, LA-  Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith has issued a statement briefing on the death of a man who died while in custody of the Shreveport Police Department.

The entire statement reads as follows:

Shreveport Police are investigating the death of a man while in police custody yesterday afternoon. On August 1, 2023, just after 12:30 p.m., Shreveport Police patrol officers responded to the 200 block of Holcomb Street on a citizen complaint in reference to reports of an unknown man in the caller’s backyard yelling for help. Officers contacted the man and observed that he was sweating profusely and began speaking with him and believed that he was suffering a mental health crisis. They determined that his status warranted an emergency commitment. The Shreveport Fire Department was already on scene to assess the man’s medical status. After a brief struggle, the man was handcuffed and with the assistance of fire personnel, carried to a police cruiser. Officers learned that the man lived very close by and stopped at the man’s residence to make contact with his family prior to transport to a local hospital. When the officers arrived at his residence, he was unconscious. They immediately removed him from the vehicle and rendered emergency aid. The fire department responded back to the scene and transported the man to a local hospital where he later died. An autopsy was ordered by the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office. More details will be released as the investigation continues.

KEEL News will continue to update both on air and online as further details become available.