The Latest: Video shows gunfight, apparent suspect suicide

NEW ORLEANS – The Latest on the release of a police video showing a gunfight ending with the apparent suicide of a car theft suspect (all times local):

3:50 p.m.

New Orleans police have released dashcam video showing a gunfight that ends with the apparent suicide of a car theft suspect who opened fire as he encountered police.

Video of the Aug. 21 gunfight was shown during a Friday afternoon news conference. Also on display was the handgun police believe 37-year-old Bernie Porche (POHR’-shay) had used to kill himself and to wound a state trooper in an earlier encounter.

The video, taken from a distance, shows police on foot, approaching an intersection, looking for Porche.

The man identified as Porche enters from the right, arm extended as he runs across the street. Porche falls as multiple gunshots are heard. There is silence for five seconds. Then, another gunshot is heard as a puff of smoke near Porche’s head.

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10 a.m.

Top officials with Louisiana State Police and the New Orleans Police Department plan to publicly discuss the death of a car theft suspect who apparently shot himself in the head after he was wounded in a gunfight with police.

Friday afternoon’s news conference will include the release of police dash camera video that captured some of the Aug. 21 incident.

Dr. Jeffrey Rouse is New Orleans’ coroner. He said in late August that evidence indicates 37-year-old Bernie Porche shot himself in the head after suffering two “potentially survivable” gunshot wounds.

Porche is suspected of having shot and wounded a state trooper shortly before the gunfight with police.