A few weeks ago, I wrote about a police shootout that started in Tangipahoa Parish and ended up in St. John Parish, and all of the officers went home safe. I want to tell you now about a shoot out that took place in New Orleans in January 1973, when the officers didn’t go home. The shootout started in the streets of New Orleans and ended up on the roof top of the Howard Johnson Hotel. A Black Panther militant Mark Essex came to New Orleans after shooting many police officers and killing at least 15 all across the United States.

He would first kill New Orleans police officer Alfred Harrell, 19 years old and a police cadet, by shooting him in the back with a .44 caliber rifle at the parish prison. Police tracked Essex to a warehouse where a shoot out occurred, and Sgt. Edwin Hosli was killed. Essex escaped and would shoot seven civilians, killing three of them.

Essex would then go to the Howard Johnson where he would set several fires. Inside the hotel, Essex would kill Frank Schneider, an assistant manager, and guests Robert Steagall, 27, and his wife, 26. They were found embraced in the hallway, he shot in head and his wife shot in eye. A total of about 16 persons were wounded, and five police officers killed.

Some of the wounded were six New Orleans police officers, an ambulance driver, two firemen and a deputy from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff Office. Superintendent of Police Louis Sirgo left his office and was leading officers up the stairs in the hotel when he was killed. Officer Paul Persigo was filmed standing behind a police car with his weapon looking up at the hotel, and he was shot in the face. It was Officers Persigo’s wife’s birthday when he was killed. Officer Philip Coleman would also die that day.

Essex was on top of the hotel shooting at everyone that moved. The city was paralyzed. A TV station was close to the Howard Johnson, and they just opened the windows and filmed from their office. Some 100 officers fired at the sniper for two days. Finally an armed marine helicopter was called to assist. As the helicopter flew over the hotel, the sniper left his cover and ran across the rooftop shooting at the helicopter. The helicopter returned fire with a .50 caliber automatic weapon, shooting the sniper over 200 times. This ended the two-day standoff, with many killed and wounded.

The Louisiana Treasures Museum, located on Louisiana Highway 22, west of Ponchatoula, has information on the shootout and information and pictures of other officers from Louisiana who have been killed in the line of duty. If anyone has had a friend or loved one that was a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty and has their picture, I am in desperate need of these officers’ pictures. The museum has a wall of “Gone But Not Forgotten,” and we want to hang a 5×7 picture of all such officers on that wall. The first police officer killed from New Orleans was killed April 4, 1882, after being shot. Since 1882, about 80 officers have been killed in the line of duty. The museum has many items that pertain to law enforcement, including two jails: one that held 12 prisoners and another that held four prisoners that was build in 1882.

Wayne Norwood is a lieutenant with the St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Department and owner and operator of the Louisiana Treasures Museum.