A manhunt ended Thursday afternoon for the 27-year-old man who authorities suspect fatally shot an on-duty Louisiana police officer who was responding to a call.
Officers found Grover D. Cannon at a home Thursday afternoon, Shreveport Police Department spokesman Marcus Hines confirmed to The Post.
Shreveport Officer Thomas LaValley was shot Wednesday night after he responded to a home for a report of a suspicious person who fled after the confrontation, according to police.
Cannon was found inside of a garage behind a house Thursday afternoon and was arrested without incident, Hines told reporters on the scene. The suspect has been taken to Shreveport Police headquarters to be interviewed by investigators, and he faces three charges, including first degree murder of a police officer.
Multiple tips led authorities to a street in Shreveport, the Shreveport Times reported.
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Officials launched a manhunt for Cannon, and the FBI announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to Cannon’s arrest. Authorities also cautioned the public against approaching him. “If you know of his location, contact your local law enforcement immediately,” Shreveport police said in a statement.
“There is nowhere he can go, there is nothing he can do to stop us from bringing him to justice,” Shreveport Police Chief Willie Shaw told reporters at a Thursday morning news conference.
Shaw said law enforcement would “scour the Earth” for Cannon, who was previously wanted on a second degree attempted murder charged in connection to a July shooting of a 45-year-old man. He also faces a third charge in connection with a domestic battery case, Hines said.
LaValley was killed in the line of duty after he responded to a report from a woman who called about a man in her neighbor’s house. She told police he might be armed and have a warrant for his arrest, police said.
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“Officer LaValley arrived on scene and apparently contacted the male suspect inside the residence when the man produced a firearm and shot him multiple times in the upper body,” a police release states. “Other officers responding to the call found the mortally wounded officer, pulled him out of the home and called for medical assistance.”
Share this articleShareLaValley had been wearing his department issued armor at the time. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
More than 70 units responded to the scene late Wednesday night, along with helicopters and drones, the Shreveport Times reported.
LaValley joined the department in February 2011 and was assigned to evening shift patrol in the west part of town. Shaw said in a Wednesday night statement that the city and department “has suffered an unimaginable loss tonight with the murder of Officer LaValley.”
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“Thomas was an excellent police officer and, more than just that, he was truly dedicated to his chosen profession and had a heart for service,” Shaw said. “He loved being a police officer and we will never forget his dedication and courage.”
“May God bless the family of the SPD officer that lost his life tonight serving our city,” the Caddo Parish Constable’s Office wrote on Facebook late Wednesday. “Please keep this officer’s family in your prayers tonight as well as our local law enforcement. He died protecting us.”
[This post has been updated.]
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