Amethyst Baird, Jeremy Gullette arrested in connection to shooting of Louisiana wildlife agent
Louisiana State Police detectives have now confirmed that two people have been arrested in connection to the attempted murder on Saturday morning of a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agent.
Senior Agent Tyler Wheeler, 25, also of Monroe, was struck five times by gunfire while performing a traffic stop about 2:06 a.m. in Morehouse Parish.
Amethyst Baird, 31, has been booked into the Ouachita Correctional Center on one count of attempted 1st degree murder of a police officer for the shooting. Saturday. Jeremy Gullette, 34, of Monroe, was also booked into Ouachita jail on one count of accessory after the fact to attempted first degree murder, state police said.
According to the news release, state police detectives quickly discovered evidence that led to the arrest of Baird and Gullette after launching an investigation into the shooting of Wheeler.
Wheeler was stabilized on the scene after a second LDWF officer arrived, then was airlifted to the trauma center at LSU Health Shreveport hospital.
Wildlife and Fisheries officials said Wheeler, who has been an LDWF agent for two and a half years, was listed in stable condition, according to a news release issued just before 8:30 p.m.
In the news release, LDWF Enforcement Division Col. Joey Broussard said that Wheeler “is in stable condition and responsive to commands.”
In Facebook messages, Wheeler’s father, Darren, said his son was struck five times by bullets: twice in the arm, once in the upper shoulder, once in the jaw and once in through his left temple. He said doctors described the bullet’s trajectory as having “traveled around the skull” and missing the brain. Doctors have removed part of Wheeler’s skull, his father said.
“It is now a waiting game for swelling,” Darren Wheeler wrote on Facebook.