1-year-old killed in shooting following pursuit

ST. JAMES PARISH, La. (WAFB) - A man who reportedly made threats to kill himself and his young child led police on a pursuit that began in Gonzales and ended in a cemetery in St. James Parish Wednesday evening, investigators said.

As the pursuit ended, the man reportedly shot himself and his one year-old daughter. The child died and the man was transported to a hospital where he was last listed in critical condition, investigators said.

Deputies with the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office were first to spot the man, near Highway 44 and Interstate 10, after getting a call from the child's mother who was tracking the vehicle. The mother had received the earlier threats from the man about harming himself and the child, investigators said.

Ascension Parish deputies and officers from the Gonzales Police Department began to pursue the vehicle.

The pursuit eventually entered St. James Parish where the male driver then allegedly pulled into a cemetery and fired the shots.

Louisiana State Police are leading the investigation into the incident, at the request of the St. James Parish Sheriff's Office.

The name of the driver and his daughter have not been released.