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MANDEVILLE, La. (WVUE) - A woman died and the man who shot her was killed by police in a violent domestic incident Friday night (July 5), the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

The STPSO announced Friday it was asked to investigate an officer-involved shooting in Mandeville, but provided few details until Saturday morning.

The agency said Mandeville Police were called to a house in the 700 block of Heavens Drive for a welfare check. An officer arrived and reportedly heard a woman screaming inside.

According to police, the woman ran out of the house, telling officers that an armed man inside was threatening to kill her. The man came out of the house and shot the woman several times.

The sheriff’s office said the first officer on scene took cover and asked the man to drop the gun while awaiting backup, and attempted to use non-lethal force by tasing the man. But the man pointed his gun at the officer, and a second arriving officer shot the suspect, the sheriff’s office said.

STPSO investigates an officer-involved shooting incident in Mandeville

The agency said no officers were injured, but both the man and woman died at a hospital.

Several neighbors identified the man to Fox 8 as a Covington podiatric surgeon who lived at the house with the woman; the St. Tammany Parish coroner’s office later identified the individuals as 46-year-old David Vang and 48-year-old Laina Lee.

Neighbor Robert Krummel said he knew the couple and that, “You wouldn’t want to see that happen to anyone. And they had children. I know they had a couple of children.”

It’s unclear what led to the altercation and to police being called to the scene. But multiple neighbors said domestic issues between the couple were not uncommon.

“There was a time when she came to us and said she needed her boyfriend beat up, or something of that nature,” Krummel said.

He said the incident left him shaken.

“I’m scared to death,” he said. “I mean, we live in these condos. The only thing that separates one unit from the next is sheetrock.”

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith issued a statement on the incident, saying, “This is an example of the dangers members of law enforcement face every day when they put on their uniform.

“Thankfully, all of the officers came home safe last night. But it could very easily end very differently. My prayers go out to the families affected by this tragic incident.”

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