It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mandeville Police Captain, Vincent “Vinny” Liberto Jr.
Captain Liberto was a highly decorated and respected law enforcement officer, known across the entire country. Captain Liberto graduated from Brother Martin High School in 1979, and after graduation joined the United States Marine Corps. Captain Liberto was honorably discharged as a sergeant, after serving his country for over 10 years. Captain Liberto joined that Mandeville Police Department in January of 1994. He climbed through the ranks and earned multiple prestigious awards during his years of service, including Officer of the Year. Captain Liberto was a graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy, and was also a polygraphist.
Captain Liberto leaves behind a loving wife and seven children. Several of his children are active law enforcement officers and military. Captain Liberto was 58 years old.
Any information in relation to the actual incident, resulting in Captain Liberto’s death, will be disseminated by the Louisiana State Police. There will be more information released about Captain Liberto, the man he was, and his services, at some point next week. Thank you all for your respect, sympathy, and understanding during today’s incident. It will be a rough couple of weeks for the entire law enforcement community in the New Orleans Metro Area, especially the Mandeville Police Department.
From earlier in the day…
This is a developing story. Mandeville Police have confirmed two officers were shot Friday afternoon near the intersection of 190 and Highway 22. There is a massive police presence at the scene. Avoid this area if at all possible. We are covering the story live on the Lake 94.7. Reports indicate the shooting occurred after a vehicle pursuit. There is at least one wrecked car and one damaged police cruise at the scene. Reports indicate that two officers were shot, and that one of them has died. The other was wounded in the head but will reportedly be OK. It appears that two suspects are in custody.
Highway 22 and 190 near this scene are shut down and police are diverting traffic.
Dave Bruce spoke with a witness to what happened in the clip below.
Mandeville Police chief Gerald Sticker told reporters that he had notified the family of the slain officer, but that his department was not ready to release the officer’s name.
