MANDEVILLE – St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith praised three officers he said acted decisively and justly during a domestic hostage situation that left one man dead.

A neighbor reported sounds of gunfire around 10 p.m. on November 11 in the Hickory area just north of Pearl River, according to Smith.

When the three officers arrived at the scene, they were confronted by 55-year-old Eddy Longoria standing in the doorway of a trailer home on Hollyfield Lane holding a gun.

Longoria immediately opened fire at the officers, Smith said.

“Shortly thereafter, the closest deputy to the individual fired his weapon, and possibly one of the three struck the suspect, in the chest, causing one fatal shot,” he said.

Ballistic details have not been worked out yet, so it isn’t clear which officer fired the fatal shot, Smith said.

Longoria went to the trailer that night as part of an ongoing domestic dispute.

“There was a female inside the residence who this individual had a prior relationship with,” Smith said. “He went there, forced his way in, and held her and her boyfriend at somewhat hostage with his gun.”

The boyfriend managed to escape, and Longoria opened fire on him as he was escaping, but missed, Smith said.

A relative who lives next door heard those shots and placed the initial 911 call.

“There is no doubt in my mind that this individual went there with grave intentions, to kill not only the female, but to kill the male subject, her new boyfriend,” Smith said.

The deputies responded using their training and acted appropriately, Smith said.

“I’m proud of them for what they have done,” he said.

All three have been placed on administrative leave while the investigation into the shooting progresses.