HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. — A Mississippi sheriff’s deputy has died following a shooting in Hancock County, authorities said late Monday.
In a statement, the Sheriff’s Office said Boutte was an Air Force veteran who had worked in law enforcement for eight years, according to the news outlets.
According to the Sea Coast Echo and WLOX, the shooting occurred shortly after 1 p.m. Monday at a home on Earl C. Ladner Road. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office said Lt. Michael Boutte responded to a call involving an armed man who reportedly had threatened to shoot himself, according to the Echo. The suspect opened fire, striking Boutte, before a different deputy shot the suspect, the department said.
Boutte and the suspect were flown to New Orleans hospitals, where Boutte later died, WLOX reported. Details about the suspect’s condition were not immediately available.
“The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office suffered a huge loss today,” Hancock County Sheriff Ricky Adam said in the statement, the Echo reported. “Mike was an incredible deputy and more so a fine person. He was a mentor to our younger deputies, and I know he will be greatly missed by his peers. You never saw him without a smile or a positive attitude. I can’t begin to describe the heartbreak we are all experiencing right now. My thoughts, prayers and heart go out to his family and loved ones.”
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the incident, authorities said.