Officer Working Security at High School Game Killed

It may have stemmed from an argument over masks
By Luke Roney,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 27, 2021 10:07 AM CST
Officer Working Security at High School Game Killed
Stock Image.   (Getty Images)

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the death of a police officer, who was shot and killed Friday night during a high school basketball game in New Orleans, ABC reports. Martinus Mitchum, a 38-year-old Tulane University police officer, was working security at the game at George Washington Carver High School, according to the Times-Picayune. He reportedly intervened in an argument between a staff member at the entrance of the school gym and a person trying to enter. “As a result of trying to intervene and escort the individual out of the school, the individual pulled a weapon and fired a shot that struck the officer in the chest,” a New Orleans police official said.

“I was just getting there. As I was parking to get in the lot, I heard some shots. There was a look of dismay by officers who were there,” a photographer arriving at the game told KSDK. Mitchum, also a reserve officer with the City Court Constable, was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The shooting reportedly occurred outside of the gym, and no other injuries were reported. The suspect, whose identity hadn't been disclosed, was quickly arrested by police, according to reports. One reporter covering the shooting tweeted that a law enforcement source said that the suspect was repeatedly denied entry into the game for refusing to wear a facemask. In a statement, the school said that Mitchum “was a fixture at Carver sporting events and parades, and we honor his memory.” (More New Orleans stories.)

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