Patrolman Paul Arlynn Butch Persigo, 33, was fatally shot while clearing civilians outside the Howard Johnson hotel in New Orleans on January 7, 1973. He was among officers responding after a sniper took a position in the hotel; the siege stretched into a 36-hour standoff that included multiple exchanges of gunfire.

The lone gunman had already killed several people over a seven-day span, including Deputy Superintendent Louis Sirgo and Cadet Alfred Harrell; another officer, Edwin Hosli, Sr., later died of wounds sustained in the events. Police sharpshooters killed the suspect in a rooftop confrontation, so no arrest or trial followed. Persigo, a six-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department, was survived by his wife and three children.

Are there any local recollections or photographs of the Howard Johnson siege that could shed more light on the timeline or those involved?