BATON ROUGE, LA – A drug suspect was fatally shot by deputies on Thursday after he opened fire on them from a back bedroom, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office. The incident also resulted in injuries to two undercover deputies.
Tyquarius Armstrong, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene. One deputy was hit in his bulletproof vest, while another sustained injuries to an unprotected area of his lower abdomen. Both officers are expected to recover.
Deputies arrived at a residence on Robertson Avenue, near North Foster Drive and Hollywood Street, to execute a search warrant for drugs. Body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office shows the response team announcing their presence as they approached the house.
“Come on, let’s go. Sheriff’s Office. Search warrant,” one deputy is heard saying under the carport.
Inside the home, a unit leader directed a colleague to “take the hall” as he entered a room with a bed and a desktop computer. Moments later, another officer kicked in a door one room over. Armstrong fired at the deputies just before the recording ended.
“As they cleared the residence, deputies continued to announce themselves,” the sheriff’s office stated. “A man in a back bedroom confronted deputies with a gun and fired shots at them. Deputies returned fire after being shot at.”
Sheriff Sid Gautreaux visited the injured deputies and later stated that their names would not be released due to the sensitive nature of their work.
“This incident exemplifies how dangerous this job can be every day,” Gautreaux said. “I’m grateful our deputies are not more seriously injured.”
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome expressed her gratitude toward the deputies, emphasizing the daily risks faced by law enforcement officers and the community’s commitment to their safety.
The operation was part of a joint investigation with the Drug Enforcement Administration.