MANDEVILLE, La. — A man accused of shooting and killing a Mandeville Police captain after a car chase on the Northshore in September will be prosecuted for his murder and several other charges after a grand jury indicted him Wednesday.
The indictment against 21-year-old Mark E. Spicer Jr. covers a first-degree murder charge, an attempted first-degree murder charge, aggravated flight from an officer, obstruction of justice and illegal possession of stolen firearms.
Police say Spicer refused to yield when officers tried to pull him over in Mandeville on Sept. 20. After the pursuit was joined by a second police vehicle, all three crashed into a ditch.
Spicer then allegedly fired at the officers, grazing one and fatally striking Capt. Vincent Liberto, 58, before fleeing. The grazed officer, identified as Ben Cato, was taken to the hospital but was quickly released.
Liberto, a decorated U.S. Marine, was a 25-year veteran at the Mandeville Police Department when he was killed. He was the first Mandeville law enforcement officer to be killed in the line of duty in more than 60 years.
He leaves behind a wife and seven children. Several of those children are current law enforcement officers and military members, the release said.
The murder was investigated by state troopers, as is usual for an officer-involved shooting in Louisiana.
“On behalf of the Mandeville Police Department, I would like to personally thank the Louisiana State Police for the hundreds of investigative hours they have put into detailing the events surrounding Captain Liberto’s murder,” Mandeville Police Chief Gerald Sticker said. “Their objectivity and consummate professionalism throughout this investigation is to be commended."
Authorities did not provide a court date for Spicer.
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