On August 26, 1978, Patrolman Julius Gene Courville, 43, was killed while on duty in Henderson, Louisiana. Courville, a White husband and father of two, had just begun his employment with the Henderson Police Department the day before. He and his partner responded to a reported domestic dispute that escalated when the suspect opened fire on the officers. Courville sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head and died at the scene.

The suspect was taken into custody and later tried; the jury returned a verdict of guilty of first-degree murder. Courville’s family and the Henderson community were left grieving the loss of an officer who had only just started his sworn service. Does anyone have memories of Patrolman Courville or information about that day to share?