A police officer with the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) was found shot to death in his squad car early Sunday morning, officials said.
BREAKING: HANO officer found shot to death inside of police cruiser. http://t.co/BsNTAwNYNo
The officer, whose identity has not been released, was working overtime guarding a construction site in the Central City neighborhood when he was killed, New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison told a reporters.
"It's a very hard thing to which one of your colleagues lose their life in the line of duty," Harrison said, adding that the crime is under investigation.
The officer's body was discovered around 7.am. local time, he said.
HANO Police Chief Robert Anderson said it was the first on-duty death of an officer in the department's history.
"It's a horrible day for us," Anderson said. "Truly sad. This is a young officer that was taken way too soon."
Grief counsellors have been made available to officers, Anderson and Harrison said.
NOPD on scene where HANO officer was shot
Mayor Mitch Landrieu released the following statement on the officer's death:
"The death of this HANO police officer is an unspeakable tragedy, and a vile and cowardly act. Tragedies that involve our men and women in uniform affect our entire city and touch every member of our law enforcement community. We are deeply saddened by this loss, and our hearts and prayers are with the officer's friends and family and with the entire HANO family during this very difficult time.
"NOPD and HANO will work very closely to identify and arrest those responsible for this heinous assault. NOPD and HANO are part of the same close-knit law enforcement family that puts their lives on the line to protect and serve the people of New Orleans. Never are we more aware of the risk they face every day than we are on terrible days like this.
NOPD say a HANO officer was shot & killed in his squad car this morning
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, HANO Executive Director Gregg Fortner said the department was mourning the loss of the officer.
"We stand ready with every available resource to assist, and are fully cooperating with NOPD in their investigation of this tragedy," Fortner said. "We are also increasing our patrol coverage in the area to help the community deal with this tragic event.