In the tumultuous year of 1973, New Orleans patrolman Philip Coleman Sr., a 26-year-old male with five years of dedicated service to the city's police department, met a tragic and untimely end. On January 7th, a day that would be etched in the city's memory, Coleman responded to a call of an officer in distress at Duncan Plaza. As he stepped out of his patrol car, a sniper's bullet found its mark, and Coleman fell, his life abruptly cut short.
The city was in the grip of a reign of
terror orchestrated by a lone sniper who had already claimed the lives of several civilians and set fires at a downtown hotel. This gunman, a member of the Black Panthers, had positioned himself in a strategic location, turning the heart of the city into a war zone. Before killing Coleman, the sniper had also murdered Cadet Alfred Harrell and Sergeant Edwin Hosli in separate incidents just days prior. Additionally, he was responsible for the deaths of Deputy Superintendent Louis Sirgo and Officer Paul Persigo during the same seven-day period of violence.
The standoff with the sniper culminated in a dramatic and forceful response from law enforcement. A Marine helicopter was called in, flying over the hotel where the suspect was barricaded. From the air, police sharpshooters engaged the gunman, ultimately killing him and ending his deadly rampage.
Patrolman Coleman was survived by his wife, son, and parents, leaving behind a family and a city to mourn his heroic sacrifice in the line of duty.
