The man accused of shooting three Lafayette Police officers in August 2023 has been sentenced for his convictions.
John Mitchell Nicholas was convicted at trial in April of three counts attempted first-degree murder and one count possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the shooting of three Lafayette Police Officers.
A Lafayette child, 19-month-old Kaci Cyprian, died in the shoot-out, but her case was severed from this one.
This week, Nicholas was sentenced to 50 years on each attempted murder charge, to be served consecutively, along with 20 years for the weapons charge.
In that trial, the Lafayette jury found that Nicholas was inside a home at 106 S. General Marshall Street in Lafayette with numerous other adults and children, when police were dispatched after a 911 call at 2:14 am of a fight in progress in the home. The 911 operator indicated that the fight sounded very physical and the phone line was left open so 911 could hear all the background yelling. When officers arrived on scene, the front door waslocked and they received no response to their knocking on the door several times. The officer could hear a female saying "get your hands off of me," and believed the female to be in danger. They gained entry through the door, and a female ran out of the house and fled from the scene. Another female tried to assist officers in escorting two minor children from the house, when Nicholas emerged from a hallway with an AR-15 style rifle and began to fire multiple shots at the officers, striking two of the three officers inside the house.
Lafayette Police Department officers testified at the trial as to the events that led up to Nicholas shooting at the officers, and body camera video from the incident was played for the jury. Witnesses testified that Nicholas actually blocked anyone inside the house from opening the door when police knocked and announced their presence.
Here's a quote from District Attorney Don Landry about the sentence:
“The defendant was a serious repeat offender who used a gun to seriously injure officers, we are going to make sure that police officers who go to work each day and tell their families goodbye can rest assured that if someone tries to shoot or kill them, that defendant will go to prison for a long, long time. Everyone in our judicial district needs to know that if they do anything like this, my office will prosecute them and they will spend the rest of their life in prison."
Two police officers were taken to a hospital and treated for gunshot wounds. Nicholas refused to exit the house and still had his rifle with him after the shooting, so the SWAT team and K-9’s were deployed, and Nicholas was then arrested. Nicholas was taken to a local hospital after he was arrested and treated for a gunshot wound and a dog bite.
“The officers at the scene acted with tremendous restraint in not killing this suspect,” Landry said. “They utilized K-9’s and other less lethal means when he refused to drop his weapon and exit the house in order to get him in custody. They are to be commended.”
Assistant DA’s Alan Haney and Kaitlyn Mistretta prosecuted the case.
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