On November 17, 1979 in New Orleans, Patrolman Ronald Leon Duplechain, 27, was killed while off duty after intervening in a disturbance near a payphone. Duplechain, a U.S. military veteran who had served four years on the New Orleans Police Department, identified himself as a police officer and tried to calm a man who produced a pistol and threatened bystanders. The assailant shot Duplechain in the chest; the wounded officer returned fire and struck the attacker in the leg before succumbing to his wound at Charity Hospital.

The man shot by Duplechain was taken into custody and later charged with murder. Duplechain was survived by his parents and eleven siblings, including a brother who also served with the New Orleans Police Department.

Does anyone have further information about Duplechain’s service or the circumstances that night?