State Police are taking over the investigation of a hostage situation that turned deadly in St. Landry Parish.

Timothy Albert, 40, was gunned down by authorities after taking his girlfriend hostage, using a high-powered rifle after a nearly three-hour standoff.

Port Barre Police Chief, Deon Boudreaux, was there when it happened and said all measures were taken before using deadly force:

“Negotiators had already spoken to him, other people had already spoken to him. They tried different tactics, but it just wasn’t working.”

Albert had barricaded himself and his girlfriend, 34-year-old Mindy Babineaux in a back room.

Their three-year-old son was home when the standoff started but was safely removed from the home early on.

Boudreaux, who was one of Albert’s high school classmates tells KLFY’s Jazmin Thibodeaux:

“Out there watching all of this go down not as police officers, but as people that know each other the mindset of everyone there was wow. I can’t believe this is happening.”

Boudreaux added that he and another classmate of theirs, Pastor Benjamin Richard, as well as, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz went inside the home together.

The three men tried to get Albert to surrender,

“Pastor spoke to him through the door. He tried everything to just let him know, ‘look I’m here to help not hurt you’. He tried to plead with him, ‘look you don’t want this to end in a negative way. Come walk out with me, we’ll walk out together’,” Boudreaux said.

This lasted nearly seven minutes before Boudreaux and Pastor Richard were sent out.

Sheriff Guidroz said the standoff ended when deputies heard Albert threaten to shoot his girlfriend:

“It happened so fast. I can tell you that when he made the comment that he was going to shoot her, we didn’t hear her say a word. We went in and shot tear gas.”

Deputies shot Albert when he leveled his weapon towards officers according to Guidroz.

Albert had a history of aggravated assault and two outstanding warrants for domestic abuse.