EVANGELINE PARISH — VILLE PLATTE, La. — Neighbors in a Ville Platte community are sharing what they saw and heard after a deputy-involved shooting unfolded just steps from their homes.
KATC's Paris Flannigan spent the day in the neighborhood where the shooting happened, going door to door and speaking with residents about the moments leading up to the gunfire.
One of those neighbors, Shirley Cooper, lives just around the corner from where the incident occurred. She says shortly before the shooting, she saw a young man speeding down her street.
“They just passed us real fast,” Cooper said.
Cooper says it appeared the man was riding some type of off-road vehicle, with deputies close behind.
“And he appeared to be on some motor bike, and the cops were right behind him,” she said.
According to Louisiana State Police, Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop 24 yearold Dylan Savoie, from riding a four-wheeler, but he did not stop, leading to a brief pursuit. Investigators say the four-wheeler later crashed into a ditch on Ivy Road, and Savoie ran into a nearby field.
Moments later, neighbors say they heard gunfire.
“We heard a shot,” Cooper said.
Investigators say Savoie pulled out a gun and fired at deputies. Deputies fire back, hitting him.
When asked how it feels to see something like this happen so close to home, Cooper said she doesn’t like it at all.
Another neighbor, Tara McClendon, says the situation was terrifying, especially with children nearby.
“It was scary. To have a shooting right there — I’ve got kids,” McClendon said. “That bullet could’ve hit my baby.”
According to EPSO, the incident stemmed from a tip received about illegal drug transactions.
State police are investigating the shooting.
