On October 5, 1996, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Deputy James Lee Clarius, 34, was killed during a struggle with a suspect in Metairie, Louisiana, at the intersection of West Esplanade Avenue and Page Drive. Clarius, a nine-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, had been confronting a man accused of an armed robbery at a nearby convenience store about 30 minutes earlier. During the struggle the suspect gained control of the deputy’s service weapon and shot him four times, one bullet striking the heart; the assailant then fired three more shots while standing over the fallen deputy.

A resident found Clarius in the street about ten minutes after the shooting and he was taken to East Jefferson Hospital, where he died of his wounds. His marked police car was located nearby with the engine running and the overhead lights on. Three days later, 21-year-old Ulysses Jones Jr. surrendered to authorities and was arrested for the robbery and the murder. A jury convicted Jones of first-degree murder on April 27, 1999, and after the penalty phase ended without unanimous jury agreement the judge imposed life in prison without parole.

If anyone witnessed the struggle that night or has information about the events leading up to the shooting, please share what is known.