A quiet evening in Raceland, Louisiana, was shattered by a tragic and violent rampage that claimed the life of Milton Bourgeois, a 67-year-old male resident. The events unfolded on December 26, 2013, when a gunman, later identified as 38-year-old Ben Freeman, embarked on a deadly shooting spree that spanned two parishes. Freeman, a former registered nurse who had been fired from Ochsner St.
Anne General Hospital, targeted several individuals, including his former boss.
That evening, Freeman arrived at the home of Milton Bourgeois, who was an administrator at the very hospital from which Freeman had been terminated in 2011. In a cold-blooded act, Freeman shot Bourgeois at close range, ending his life. The violence did not stop there; Freeman also shot Bourgeois's wife, Ann, who sustained a gunshot wound to her leg but ultimately survived the horrific attack.
The rampage had begun earlier that evening when Freeman shot three members of his ex-wife's family in Lockport, killing his former mother-in-law. Authorities also discovered the body of Freeman's current wife at their home in Houma; it was later determined she had been strangled. The widespread violence prompted a massive manhunt for Freeman, who was considered armed and dangerous.
The search for the suspect concluded when law enforcement found Ben Freeman along U.S. Highway 90. He was deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, bringing an end to the terrifying chain of events. Investigations into the motive revealed a history of domestic disputes, including protective orders filed against Freeman by his ex-wife, with whom he was entangled in a custody battle. His attack on Milton Bourgeois appeared to be an act of retribution against a former employer. With the suspect deceased, the case did not proceed to an arrest or trial.
