Sergeant Merlin Eugene Brune Jr. was 37 and a 12-year veteran of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office when he was killed on July 12, 1977. A U.S. Navy veteran and a husband and father of two, he was responding to a domestic disturbance in the 500 block of Oak Avenue in Bridge City after the estranged girlfriend of the suspect in Westwego reported a dispute and that her groceries had been stolen.

When officers arrived at the Bridge City residence the suspect retreated inside. While Sergeant Brune and other officers tried to negotiate a surrender, the suspect fired through the front door, fatally wounding Brune. The shooter later surrendered and was arrested; he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 21 years in prison. Sergeant Brune had been scheduled to receive a Criminal Justice degree from Our Lady of Holy Cross College on the day he was killed.

Does anyone have memories of Sergeant Brune, his service in Jefferson Parish, or details about that July 1977 incident that could add to the record?