Deputies were responding to a domestic dispute and pursued a man into the woods near Jackson when they heard a gunshot and returned fire, the East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office said.
It turned out the gunshot was self-inflicted, and deputies' shots didn't hit him, a spokesman said.
"There was only one shot fired by him," said Chief Criminal Deputy Bill Cox. "And we believe that to be the shot that killed him and that he didn't shoot at the chase team or our deputies."
The new account from deputies and dispatch records sheds more light on the April 4 confrontation that ended with the death of Jonathan N. Johnson, a 37-year-old from Jackson.
Dispatch records show an EFPSO deputy was called to the scene after 9 p.m. when a woman identified as Johnson's ex-fiancé called authorities and said Johnson had a gun, was at her home and was threatening to kill her. Her three children were present at the time, the woman told authorities.Â
Days earlier, Johnson was served a protective order on March 28 barring him from contact with the woman, Cox said.Â
Call records from April 4 show the woman telling dispatchers she and Johnson had dealt with previous domestic issues.
When the deputy arrived, Johnson had already fled into the woods. Officers from nearby Dixon Correctional Institute officers were called to assist in pursuing Johnson and arrived around 10:05 p.m.
Authorities pursued the man for over an hour until shots were fired at 11:17 p.m., according to dispatch records.
Officers heard a shot coming from Jackson's direction and returned fire, unsure whether the man was shooting at law enforcement, Cox said. He said the autopsy should confirm the gunshot wound was self-inflicted, resulting in his death.
Officers weren't wearing body cameras during the incident, Cox said.
"They would've been pretty useless," he said. "It was dark in those woods."
