In the summer of 1900 in New Orleans, a 48-year-old male, Patrolman Peter J. Lamb, lost his life in the line of duty. The series of events that led to his death began on July 23rd, when three police officers approached a man and his friend. The situation escalated quickly when the man produced a handgun and opened fire, wounding one of the officers.
This initial confrontation set in motion a city-wide manhunt for the shooter.
The following day, acting on a tip, a team of officers, including Captain John Day and Patrolman Lamb, tracked the suspect to a house on Fourth Street. As the officers attempted to enter the residence, the suspect ambushed them with a. 38 caliber Winchester rifle. In the ensuing gunfire, both Captain Day and Patrolman Lamb were fatally wounded. Despite the immediate surrounding of the house by other officers, the suspect managed to escape, prolonging the intense search.
A few days later, on July 27th, investigators received another tip that led them to a home in the 1200 block of Saratoga Street where the suspect was hiding. As officers closed in to apprehend him, the man once again opened fire, tragically killing Sergeant Gabe Porteous and Corporal John Lally. The suspect then barricaded himself inside the house. The standoff continued until the suspect was shot and killed by other officers as he attempted to escape from the home. Patrolman Peter Lamb was laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery in New Orleans.
