Sword-wielding man dies after Trooper uses Taser

LIVINGSTON – A man who threatened a State Trooper on Highway 16 with a sword is dead after a Taser was used to control him.



On Sunday about 6 p.m., a Louisiana State Trooper responded to a crash near Port Vincent on Highway 16 when the driver, identified as 50-year-old Patrick O’Rourke, got out of the car with a sword.



O'Rourke ran as the Trooper chased him and then confronted the Trooper with the sword. The Trooper then deployed his Taser to stop the man. According to Louisiana State Police, O'Rourke then stopped breathing.



The Trooper performed first aid on O'Rourke until first aid arrived and was then taken to the hospital by helicopter, but died.



The Livingston Parish coroner is performing an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.