Sylvester Holt engaged in a standoff on a New Orleans bridge after police confirmed he was a suspect in the double murder of a woman and a police officer earlier that day. Throughout the encounter, Holt threatened to throw himself from the bridge while a crisis team attempted to negotiate, and even though he didn’t act on those threats, the standoff ended when he shot himself in the chest.
Louisiana State Police trooper Melissa Matey recalled the ordeal, saying, “After hours of negotiation with the Louisiana State Police crisis negotiation team, he refused to surrender and he shot himself in the chest.” She added, “It was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest and EMS was on the scene and rendering aid to him. He was underneath the bridge on a metal walkway and they had to put a hoist down there to get the paramedics down and then they had to hoist him back up to the ambulance.”
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Apparently, Holt fled the scene of the murders of police officer Michael Louviere and Simone Veal, with Veal being connected to Holt romantically. The exact nature of their relationship has yet to be confirmed.
The altercation that resulted in the double murder was sparked by a traffic collision between Holt and Veal, with Louviere getting involved to lend assistance to the motorists.
Westwego Police Chief Dwayne Munch Sr. revealed to PEOPLE that the collision was more than just an accidental fender bender. “It was a car crash that really happened deliberately,” Munch noted. “It was a domestic issue. The female victim was shot after the crash. She was laying on the highway.”
Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Colonel John Fortunato shared the grisly details with PEOPLE, saying that Louviere attended to Holt first, and then he “turned away from him and walks towards the female victim, it was then the suspect shot him in the back of the head.”
The brutality continued, as Furtnato described Holt’s actions, stating, “After he [shot] the police officer, he [went] back and [shot] the female several more times.”
Holt was pronounced dead late Friday night from his gunshot wound.
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[H/T PEOPLE/YouTube/NOLA.com]
