In the late hours of a Friday evening, on November 1, 1985, an 18-year veteran of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, Deputy Sheriff Richard Amacker Kent, III, responded to a call at Guy's Grocery on Louisiana 38, east of Kentwood. A man was attempting to break into a drink machine. Deputy Kent, a 37-year-old male, arrived on the scene with Kentwood officers and arrested the suspect.
Recognizing the individual, Deputy Kent placed him in his patrol car and proceeded inside the grocery store to take a report from an employee.
While the deputy was occupied, the suspect managed to free himself and gain control of Deputy Kent's shotgun, which was mounted on the patrol car's cage. As Deputy Kent exited the store, he was confronted by the suspect pointing his own weapon at him. He drew his service weapon, and they exchanged gunfire. Deputy Kent was struck in the chest. The suspect, who had been wounded in the arm, then walked over to the fallen deputy and shot him a second time.
Deputy Kent was rushed to a hospital in Hammond, where he succumbed to his injuries shortly after midnight on Saturday, November 2, 1985. The suspect fled the scene but was apprehended a short time later after crashing his vehicle. He was subsequently convicted of manslaughter in connection with the murder of Deputy Sheriff Richard Amacker Kent, III. Deputy Kent was survived by his pregnant wife, a son, his parents, and two sisters. In a lasting tribute, on November 12, 2021, a stretch of Highway 38 in Tangipahoa was renamed the Deputy R.A. Kent Memorial Highway.
