DOYLINE, La. — A slain police officer is being remembered as a beloved member of his village in northwestern Louisiana.
William Earl Collins Jr. was fatally shot Friday while responding to a disturbance call at a home in Doyline, Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker said. KSLA reported that community members remembered Collins, who was known as Billy, as kind and said the fatal shooting was a tragedy for the area.
“Billy was loved in the community, leaves behind a family. All we can do is ask for support, thoughts, keep family in your prayers, pray that things like this don’t happen again,” Mayor Steven Bridwell said in a news conference.
Store owner Adel Hozam told the station that he was surprised to hear what happened to Collins.
“It was a tragedy for the whole town. He was a really nice cop, everyone over here loved him. I don’t think we’ll ever find a cop as great as he was,” store owner Adel Hozam told the station.
Collins was met with gunfire while responding to a disturbance call at a home in a small village in northwestern Louisiana, officials said.
Collins was a Webster Parish deputy but was working as a patrol officer for Doyline when he responded to the call. Parker said Collins was the first officer to arrive on the scene.
Doyline is located about 20 miles east of Shreveport. Its population in the 2010 census was about 800 people.
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