Five suspects in custody in "ambush" that killed 2 La. deputies and wounded 2 more
(CBS/AP) ST. JOHN PARISH, La. - Five suspects, both male and female, are in custody after two separate shootings left two sheriff's deputies dead and two injured in St. John Parish Thursday morning, according to authorities.
PICTURES: 2 La. deputies killed in ambush west of New Orleans
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Sheriff Mike Tregre told reporters that the two deceased officers " were ambushed...or I even want to say assassinated" at a trailer park where they were questioning suspects in an earlier shooting.
Tregre said the incident started when a gunman opened fire for unknown reasons on a deputy working an off-duty traffic detail along a highway that connects U.S. Highway 61 with the busy industrial corridor along the Mississippi River, reports CBS affiliate WWLTV. That deputy was wounded.
Tregre said someone called deputies with a description of a car fleeing the scene, and officers tracked it to a nearby trailer park.
When officers found the car, they handcuffed a suspect outside a trailer, then knocked on its door. Tregre said someone with a dog answered.
"Another person exited that trailer with an assault weapon and ambushed my two officers," Tregre said. Two deputies were killed and a third was wounded.
Deputies Brandon Nielsen, 34, and Jeremy Triche, 27, were both killed. Nielsen is survived by his wife and 5 children, and Triche is survived by his wife and 2-year-old son.
The two injured deputies are Michael Boyington, 33 and Jason Triche, 30. Jason and Jeremy Triche are not believed to be related.
