Local highway to be named after fallen officer

Published 5:12 pm Thursday, August 10, 2023

The village of Fenton will be honoring a fallen officer Saturday by renaming part of U.S. 165 as the Shannon Brown Memorial Highway.

The village will also be holding the inaugural Shannon Brown Sauce Cook-off.

The highway dedication will be held at 9 a.m. at milepost 11 on the west side of U.S. 165, just north of the Exxon station.

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The brief ceremony will be followed by the inaugural Shannon Brown Sauce Cook-off, 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. at the Fenton Pavilion, located behind the Fenton Elementary School.

The events will honor Brown, who died in 2016 from injuries sustained when he was struck by his patrol unit after it was hit by another vehicle during a traffic stop on U.S. 165 in Fenton. Brown, 40, had served with the Fenton Police Department for three years and had previously served with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office for 10 years.

“This is a great way to honor him,” said Sgt. Vernon O’Quinn of the Fenton Police Department. “When he was an officer here, he lived in the community and he loved cooking sauces. He loved to cook large amounts of food in sauces and when whenever he cooked he’d feed all of Fenton.”

It will also be a way to honor Brown’s family, including his mother who has loss two sons and her husband.

“We hope as many people show up as possible because it’s for a good cause,” O’Quinn said.

Nearly a dozen cook-off teams are expected to compete for first, second and third place and bragging rights in the cook-off contest, O’Quinn said.

Those attending can also enjoy fun jumps, music, hamburgers, hot dogs and more.

All events are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Rita Harper at 337-756-2321 or O’Quinn at 337-379-0668.