SUNSET, La. — According to Sheriff Bobby Guidroz, the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office was dispatched to Muscadine Road shortly before 6 pm on January 11 after a victim reported that his brother had shot him.
Deputies attempted to talk to the suspect, Christopher Vidrine, when he barricaded himself inside his home, prompting the Sheriff's SWAT team to arrive on the scene along with negotiators. At 8:20 pm, after negotiations failed, the SWAT team took the suspect into custody using less-than-lethal force.
Vidrine was attended to by paramedics but refused assistance. He was released with no injuries and transported to the parish jail for booking. The 34-year-old faces one count of attempted 2nd degree murder, officials report.
The preliminary investigation revealed that Vidrine had been drinking all day when another family member asked the brother to check on him. The brother stated that Vidrine became angry and began arguing with him, stating several times that he was going to kill him. After several arguments and physical altercations, the brother stated that he began removing firearms from the house when Vidrine again became upset. The brother then pushed Vidrine away and went to his vehicle to retrieve his cell phone to call the sheriff's office for help. Vidrine then came out of the house and began chasing him with a small caliber rifle, shooting him in the hand.
Vidrine continued to chase the brother around his vehicle, aiming for his head. The brother was able to duck behind the vehicle and sprayed Vidrine with pepper spray. Vidrine then entered the home, giving the brother time to escape to a neighbor's house and call for help, authorities say.
The victim was treated and later released from a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Sheriff Guidroz would like to thank the District 3 Fire Department, Med Express, and the Grand Couteau Police Department for their assistance in this case. All agencies handled the incident with no loss of life.
