BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - The fatal shooting of the Morgan City, La., police chief at a Biloxi casino hotel has been ruled a suicide, the Harrison County coroner said Monday.
Coroner Gary Hargrove tells The Sun-Herald (https://bit.ly/1etF3Wb ) that Travis Anthony Crouch, 46, died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
“We are still processing some things that may or may not give answers, but it could take more than a week,” said Detective Sgt. Christopher De Back of the Biloxi Police Department. “Morgan City police have been very supportive and helpful.”
Crouch had gone to Biloxi on Friday with a group of friends who had separate hotel rooms at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. “He was found in the room that he rented by one of the people in his party,” De Back said
Police were notified of the shooting about 11:05 p.m. Friday. Police questioned his friends and people in adjoining hotel rooms, but foul play is not suspected, De Back said.
Crouch was a 22-year veteran of the Morgan City Police Department and had been the city’s police chief for nearly a year.
Funeral services will be Friday in Morgan City.
Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi described the loss as “a tough blow” to the city, The Daily Review in Morgan City reports.
Crouch joined the police department in 1991 and became its police chief Feb. 26. Morgan City officials said Crouch had made many positive changes in the police department, was known as a communicator and had implemented a drug task force.
Recalling Crouch’s interview for the job, Grizzaffi said, “He was confident that he had the ability to make things happen. He laid out a plan, and in his first year, he delivered.”
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Information from: The Sun Herald, https://www.sunherald.com
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