BPSO dispatcher killed
A Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office dispatcher was shot and killed outside of her home Monday morning in DeRidder’s Twin Lakes subdivision.
The victim has been identified as 24-year-old Marquita Wright who has worked as a dispatcher for more than two years.
DeRidder Police Chief John Gott said Wright had just finished her shift at 4:30 a.m.
Before 5 a.m., he said, officers received a call of shots fired at the residence on Lake Court drive.
Gott said officers arrived on scene to find Wright’s body on the front porch of her home.
He said Wright’s children were inside the home at the time, but were unharmed.
Neighbor Vera Hughes said she awoke at 4 a.m. that morning and had decided to read because she could not sleep. She said she called police when she heard three shots fired at 4:49 a.m.
“I wish now I had looked outside when I heard them. At the time I just didn’t know what to do or think,” Hughes said. “This isn’t something you ever expect to happen.”
Sheriff Ricky Moses said hearing of Wright’s death has been “heartbreaking” for his department.
“She was a good person and a good dispatcher. We are a small department, and a tight-knit one, so this is a difficult time for all of us here,” Moses said.
Authorities secured a search warrant for the home late Monday morning as officials with the Calcasieu Parish Forensic Team assisted with investigating the scene. Authorities have not identified any suspects at this time.