LDWF agent shot Thursday evening on Russell Sage WMA

Suspected shooter apprehended in Monroe at 11 p.m. after manhunt

A 32-year-old enforcement agent with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was shot Thursday evening on the Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area in Ouachita Parish and is in serious condition at a Monroe hospital.

According to a news release, the suspected shooter, Luke Jarrod Hust, 29, of Monroe, was located and arrested about 11 p.m. on Timber Lane Drive in Monroe.

About 6:40 Thursday evening, LDWF Sgt. Scott Bullitt, of Jonesboro, was on patrol with another agent near the Wham Break Boat Launch when they stopped a vehicle at the end of Buckley Hill Road.

Bullitt believed the occupants of the vehicle were impaired, and when he walked back to his vehicle, Hust, the passenger, allegedly shot him in the back and fled into the woods, the release states.

The other agent returned fire, but it is unknown now if Hust was hit. The driver of the vehicle was apprehended and brought in for questioning.

“We are praying for the well-being of Sgt. Bullitt and his family,” LDWF Secretary Robert Barham said.  “We also want to give thanks to everyone that helped locate this fugitive so that justice can be served.”

Bullitt has been an LDWF agent for more than five years and is married with no kids.  He recently received the “Louisiana Highway Safety Commission DWI Award,” which was presented on March 24.  He was selected among statewide agents to receive the award due to his dedication and hard work to make Louisiana waterways and roadways safer for the traveling public by removing impaired drivers.

“This is a sad day for all wildlife and fisheries agents in the country,” said Col. Broussard, head of the LDWF Enforcement Division.  “Our agents travel into remote areas patrolling public lands often and it can be a very dangerous task as we saw tonight.  My thoughts at this time are with Sgt. Bullitt and his family and also the brave men and women that contributed to catching the shooter.”

The Louisiana State Police will be the lead investigative agency for the shooting.