By erik sanzenbach

pontchartrain Newspapers

SLIDELL – Authorities in Slidell said a man who attempted to rob a Slidell restaurant Tuesday but shot and killed himself during his getaway was a National Guardsman from LaPlace whose family had been concerned about his welfare.

John Paul Loupe, 24, was found dead in his car on Interstate 10 near Bay St. Louis, Miss., after he apparently shot himself in the head, according to reports from the Bay St. Louis and Slidell Police Departments.

Bay St. Louis Coroner Norma Stiglet said an autopsy of Loupe showed that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head from a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

Slidell Police spokesman Capt. Kevin Foltz said investigators believe Loupe was fleeing the scene of an attempted armed robbery at the Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers restaurant at 1654 Gause Blvd.

Foltz said the incident occurred about 2 p.m. Tuesday. He said when police arrived they spoke with a female employee of the restaurant, who was approached by Loupe.

The witness said she was dumping some trash behind the restaurant when Loupe approached with a steak knife.

He forced her to open the back door and then approached the manager.

Foltz said Loupe took the manager to an office in the restaurant and ordered her to open the safe. Foltz said the manager decided not to obey and struck back.

“She grabbed him by the face and threw him to the ground,” Foltz said.

Foltz said investigators believe Loupe decided he didn’t want to continue with the robbery and fled the restaurant, losing his shoes in the process before getting into his car and heading toward Interstate 10.

About 20 minutes later, the Bay St. Louis Police Department got a call about a crash on I-10 East at the Jordan River Bridge in Mississippi.

When police arrived on the scene they found Loupe in the car with a gunshot wound to the head. Acting Bay St. Louis Police Chief Mike DeNardo said a 9mm semi-automatic rifle was found inside the car.

DeNardo said Loupe’s car was going east on I-10 and crossing the Jordan River Bridge when it drifted across the roadway, went off the road, hit a guardrail and finally came to rest across the two eastbound lanes.

The Bay St. Louis Police had gotten an alert from Slidell authorities on the robbery attempt. The description of the attempted robber matched the description of the man in the vehicle.

Foltz said that according to computer records, police were looking for him because of a welfare concern put out by Loupe’s grandmother in LaPlace.

According to St. John the Baptist Parish authorities, it is not clear when the welfare concern report was issued.

DeNardo said Loupe was a member of the 773rd Military Police Battalion of the Louisiana National Guard and had been assigned to assist with the BP oil spill.

Robin Shannon of L’Observateur contributed to this story.