LAPLACE – A St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a woman in LaPlace early Thursday morning after a traffic stop.

Melissa Matey, public information officer for the Louisiana State Police, said that 60-year-old Barbara Laserre, a Boutte resident, was stopped by a deputy near LaPlace shortly after 3:30 a.m. The woman stopped briefly, but then brandished a gun and fled.

The deputy followed Laserre to a residence at the intersection of West Second and Pine streets in LaPlace. Authorities said that the woman refused to get out of the car and fired at least one round in the direction of the deputy. The deputy returned fire at the woman, fatally injuring her.

St. John Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre said that it is standard procedure for the state police to take over an investigation when a deputy is involved in a shooting. The investigation is ongoing. No further information is available at this time.