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W e d n e s d ay, M ay 7, 2025
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Rayne officer killed by friendly fire He was executing search warrant for suspect in stabbing
47, was shot and killed by a fellow police officer while executing a search warrant Monday about 1:27 p.m. on East Harrop Street, according to a Rayne Police Department announcement. On Tuesday, police arrested Dustin Johnson, 38, of Rayne in BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL connection with the incident that Staff writer led up to the deadly shooting. He A Rayne police officer was killed faces charges of attempted secby friendly fire Monday after re- ond-degree murder and violation sponding to a call related to a stab- of protective orders, according to KLFY reports. bing incident. The deadly shooting occurred Lt. Allen “Noochie” Credeur,
while officers were attempting to locate Johnson in connection with a stabbing incident when Credeur was struck by friendly fire. Despite immediate medical intervention, Credeur died on the scene. Louisiana State Police are investigating the shooting. Credeur began a career in law enforcement in 2003 as a reserve officer before becoming a fulltime officer with the Rayne Police Department in 2005. He leaves behind his fiancée, Danielle Demette. “Lt. Credeur was more than an
officer; he was a brother, a friend, and a role model,” Rayne police announced in a statement. “He served with pride, humility, and an unmatched sense of duty. He had a special way of connecting with people — especial- Credeur ly young people — and was truly invested in making Rayne a safer, stronger place to live.”
Cardinals wrap up pre-conclave meetings
Law enforcement agencies across Louisiana have posted condolences. Memorial and funeral services have yet to be announced. Johnson was booked into the Acadia Parish jail at 7 p.m. Monday. His bail is set at $1 million. Louisiana State Police detectives are asking anyone with information, photographs or videos of the Rayne shooting to report it anonymously at lsp.org and clicking “Report suspicious or criminal activity,” or by calling the hotline at (800) 434-8007.
FBI fumbled investigation of Scalise shooting, report says GOP-led panel says attacker’s motivations were downplayed
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FRANCISCO SECO
Cardinal Francis Leo walks along St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Monday after attending the General Congregation of Cardinals in the New Synod Hall, where they are preparing for the upcoming conclave to elect the 267th Roman pontiff.
Voting to elect a new ppope p begins g Wednesday BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
VATICAN CITY — Cardinals wrapped d up their pre-conclave meeting gs Tuesday, trying to identify a possible new pope who could follow Pop pe Francis and make the 2,000-yearold Catholic Church credible an nd relevant today, especially to youn ng people. Although they come from 70 diifferent countries, the 133 cardin nal electors seem fundamentally united in insisting that the question befo ore them isn’t so much whether th he church gets its first Asian or Afrrican pontiff, or a conservative or progressive. Rather, they say th he primary task facing them when the conclave opens Wednesday is to find nd a pope who can be both a pastor and a teacher, a bridge who can unite the church and preach peace. “We need a superman!” said Cardinal William Seng Chye Goh, the 67-year-old archbishop of Singapore. It is indeed a tall task, given the sexual abuse and financial scandals that
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tion nal bureaucracy, and the job of beiing pope in the 21st century seems alm most impossible. Francis named 108 of the 133 F ele ectors and selected cardinals in hiss image. But there is an element of uncertainty about the election sin nce many of them didn’t know one ano other before last week, meaning the ey haven’t had much time to suss outt who among them is best suited to llead the 1.4 billion-strong church. The cardinals held their last day T of pre-conclave meetings Tuesday mo orning, during which Francis’ fisherman’s ring and his official seal we ere destroyed in one of the final formal rites of the transition of his po ontificate to the next. ä How a new pope The cardinals will begin trying to fi find the new pope Wednesday afis chosen. PAGE 6A ternoon, when those “princes of the church” walk solemnly into the Sishave harmed the church’s reputation tine Chapel to the meditative chant and the secularizing trends in many of the “Litany of the Saints.” They’ll parts of the world that are turning take their oaths of secrecy under the people away from organized reli- daunting vision of heaven and hell in gion. Add to that the Holy See’s dire ä See CARDINALS, page 6A financial state and often dysfunc-
WASHINGTON — The FBI bungled the investigation into the 2017 shooting that wounded House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and others, downplaying the attacker’s left-wing political motivations, a GOP-led congressional committee reported Tuesday. Republicans on the committee said criminal charges should be pursued against agents and others involved with the conclusions the FBI initially reached. Democrats Scalise pushed back, saying no evidence showed that those investigating the shooting were swayed by political considerations. Newly installed FBI director Kash Patel released the agency’s documents related to the shooting investigation to the committee. He was sworn in as director Feb. 21. “The FBI used false statements, manipulation of known facts, and biased and butchered analysis to support a narrative that (shooter James T. “Tom”) Hodgkinson committed suicide by cop without any nexus to domestic terrorism,” concluded GOP members of the House Permanent
ä See SCALISE, page 7A
Edwards denies withholding report on La. coastal project
Former governor sends detailed letter to Corps of Engineers BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer
Former Gov. John Bel Edwards has written a detailed letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers strongly denying that his administration “deliberately withheld” information about the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, the mammoth $3 billion plan to help restore Louisiana’s eroding coastline. In the three-page letter and in an interview
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ä See EDWARDS, page 7A
100TH yEAR, NO. 311