Sergeant Paul Berches Stuckey, 47, was found dead near an old ferry landing along the Mississippi River just outside St. Francisville the morning after he went to investigate a complaint of night hunting in West Feliciana Parish. He made his last radio contact at about 2:15 a.m. on September 30, 2011, telling dispatch he was investigating. Fishermen discovered his body next to his patrol vehicle at sunrise; he had a single shotgun wound to the chest.

Investigators initially treated the death as a homicide because he was alone in dark woods and had been killed while on duty, prompting concern in the community and among fellow officers. The Louisiana State Police later concluded the shooting was a tragic accident: evidence indicated his service-issued shotgun accidentally discharged while he was preparing to conduct surveillance. The official ruling was announced in early November 2011, leaving family and colleagues to mourn an accidental death in the line of duty.

If anyone was in the area that night or has information about the events leading up to Sergeant Stuckey’s death, please share what is known.