In the spring of 1923, a violent encounter on a bridge in St. Bernard Parish brought a sudden and tragic end to the life of Deputy Sheriff August Esteves. A 47-year-old male serving with the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office, Esteves was killed in the line of duty on Tuesday, April 17, 1923, during a Prohibition-era confrontation with bootleggers.
The fatal incident unfolded at the Lake Borgne Canal Bridge near Violet.
Deputy Esteves and his partner, Deputy Sheriff Joseph Estopinal, had positioned themselves at opposite ends of the bridge in an attempt to intercept a truck transporting illegal liquor. When Deputy Estopinal stopped the vehicle, the driver emerged and opened fire, fatally wounding him. At the same moment, Deputy Esteves was struck in the back by a blast from a shotgun at his end of the bridge. The suspects managed to escape in a car that had pulled up behind the truck.
In the aftermath of the deadly shootout, law enforcement launched a thorough investigation that resulted in the arrest of nine men who were subsequently charged in connection with the murders of the two deputies. The man responsible for Deputy Estopinal's death was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, with an additional 18 to 20 years for his role in the death of Deputy Esteves. However, in a turn of events, he was pardoned by Governor Huey P. Long on October 7, 1930. The individual who shot Deputy Esteves was acquitted of the crime, despite having confessed to another deputy. Years later, on January 16, 1933, this same individual was charged with murder in a separate case after shooting and killing a local cafe owner in St. Bernard Parish. His life also came to a violent end when he was shot and killed by his girlfriend on July 13, 1933.
