By Stephanie Kirk, The Opelousas Daily World
MAMOU, La. -- An Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s deputy and an escaped prisoner were killed during a standoff Wednesday.
Francis Jack, 22, of Mamou, shot Deputy Charles Randel “Randy” Smith, in the upper torso when the deputy went to serve Jack a warrant. Smith was 32 from Ville Platte.
Police later shot Jack, a fugitive from the parish jail, after tear gas forced him out of a mobile home on Point Street.
Sheriff Wayne Morein said Smith died at the scene while Jack was pronounced dead at Savoy Medical Center.
Lawrence Robertson, who lives in the neighborhood where the shooting took place, said he and his wife were on the front porch when they heard the shots.
“Police came by and told us to go into the house. I just moved here from the country a couple of months ago and I never thought anything like this would happen in such a small town,” he said. Mamou’s population is about 4,000.
Smith had been a deputy in Evangeline Parish for three years.
“He was a good man and a great police officer. We are going to miss him,” Morein said.
Craig Fontenot, who also lives near Point Street, said he felt sorry for the families who lost their loved ones.
The deputy, slain in the line of duty, left behind a 12-year-old son, Charles Randel Smith Jr., and a wife, according to his sister-in-law Jenel Bertrand.
She fought to hold back the tears as she said, “I don’t believe this. He just went out to do his job.”
The son could only shiver and cry after hearing the news that his father would not be returning home.
“I guess this could happen anywhere,” Fontenot said.
No one from Jack’s family was available for comment.
Morein said Jack had escaped from the Evangeline Parish jail in mid-February and since then they had been searching for him. Jack was in jail for distribution of counterfeit drugs.
“We received information that he would be at the address on Point Street in Mamou. Six of my deputies went over there with a warrant,” the sheriff said.
Deputies started to execute a warrant for Jack’s arrest around 4:25 p.m., according the police report.
“As soon as they got into the house, Jack opened up fire on the law enforcement officers,” Morein said.
Police would not release information about what kind of weapon Jack used in the shooting incident.
Morein said Smith was shot in the house, but was able to make it outside. He got 40 to 50 feet from the house and died at the scene. The sheriff explained that emergency medical personnel were not able to get to Smith in time to save his life because of the continued shots being fired from the residence.
“Law enforcement on the scene attempted to get to him (Smith), to get him out of there, but the individual in the house fired on them also,” Morein said.
Police shot Jack once after he was forced from the house on Point Street.
“He came out,” Morein said. “But, he had his hands up holding a weapon in his right hand and would not put it down. All indications law enforcement had on the scene was that he was going to shoot someone else because he refused to let go of his weapon. So, he was shot.”
Trooper Willie Williams, the spokesperson for the state police, said upon request from the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Louisiana State Police West District Shooting Investigation Team will investigate the incident.
“I think it is the right thing to do,” Morein said.
Assisting with the incident were Mamou Police Department, St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Department, Opelousas Police Department, Ville Platte Police Department, Eunice Police Department and Louisiana State troopers.