On Friday afternoon, September 20, 2019, Captain Vincent Liberto Jr., 58, of the Mandeville Police Department was killed in the line of duty. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Liberto had served about 25 years with the department. The incident began as a traffic stop that escalated into a high-speed chase and ended at the intersection of Causeway Boulevard and Louisiana Highway 22, where one occupant of the pursued vehicle, identified as Mark Spicer, exited and opened fire. Captain Liberto was struck and fatally wounded; another officer was also wounded.

Both individuals from the suspect vehicle were taken into custody. The shooter, then 21-year-old Mark Spicer, was charged with first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, and other charges. In October 2023 Spicer pleaded guilty to murder and, as part of a plea agreement supported by Liberto’s family, received life in prison without the possibility of parole. Anyone who knew Captain Liberto or witnessed events that day is asked to share information.