ST. BERNARD, La. (WVUE) - Deputies and a SWAT team from the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office ended a four-hour standoff Tuesday night (July 4) by apprehending a man who barricaded himself in his home after allegedly shooting a 14-year-old girl.
The law enforcement action took place in the 2300 block of Torres Drive.
The SBPSO said the shooting occurred shortly after 6 p.m. They identified the suspected shooter as 34-year-old Justin Pritchard, who they said “suffers from mental health issues” and was refusing to communicate with deputies.
Pritchard was taken into custody around 10:15 p.m., the agency said. He was booked with attempted second-degree murder, hate crimes, carrying a firearm near a firearm-free school zone, and illegal use of weapons.
The victim’s family members at the scene told Fox 8 that Pritchard was a neighbor with a history of racial animus and that he yelled epithets and fired a single gunshot from inside his home toward a group of people outside.
They said a 14-year-old girl sustained a graze wound to her head from the bullet and was taken by ambulance for treatment at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. Her condition was not considered to be life-threatening, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives say they recovered two rifles and two shotguns from inside the home and a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson Pritchard had on him when he exited the home.
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