NEW ORLEANS -- Two NOPD officers are recovering, and a mid-city family is planning a funeral.
The department is conducting a thorough investigation into Thursday morning's police involved shooting that killed one man and sent two officers to the hospital.
"To me, it just crushed me," family friend Tawania White said.
White, is still trying to wrap her mind around the police involved shooting that injured 22-year old Earl Sipp, and killed his 20-year old brother Justin.
"He was getting his life together, they been working both of them, worked at the same, for the same industry so it was really a shock," White said.
Family members say the oldest sibling was driving his brother to work around 5:30 Thursday morning, when police stopped his white Grand Am, in the 500 block of North Bernadette.
"I want to know what happened, what went down, and what was the situation; you know what I'm saying," White said.
New Orleans Police Chief Ronal Serpas says officer Jason Giroir had noticed a moving violation.
"As officer was conducting his traffic stop investigation, he became concerned and called for back-up," Serpas said.
That's when 21-year veteran officer, Anthony Mayfield Jr. and Michael Asevedo arrived.
"As officer Asevedo and Mayfield were identify and worked to identify Justin Sipp, and as Justin Sipp was getting out of the vehicle we have reason to believe Justin Sipp removed a 380 handgun from his waistband and opened fire," Serpas said.
Investigators say the officers returned fire.
Earl Sipp received a non-life threatening wound to the leg. His brother Justin died at the scene.
April Gomez lives next door to the Sipps who shared a Mid-City home with their grandmother.
"Every day I see him, now I'm not going to see him out here no more, only members and stuff," Gomez said.
Investigators say both fast food workers have arrest records. Neighbors were unaware.
"You know what I'm saying; they inside people," White said. "You aint gonna see them unless you see them getting off work or you see them going to work, cause you get your kids up early in the morning round the time they going to work."
Crime scene investigators spent hours marking the scene, while the two injured officers were in surgery.
Both were shot in the abdomen.
They reportedly were not wearing their bullet proof vests.
"We are playing alongside the family, the friends and with the community. Both for the families of the officers and for the family of the individuals that were on the other side of this episode. Those families didn't ask for this either," New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said.
Late Thursday, both officers were listed in stable condition at the Interim LSU Public Hospital.
A police investigation continues.
Copyright 2012 - WGNO-TV, Metairie, La.
McClatchy-Tribune News
