A prosecutor in New Orleans has taken his own life just days after the city was hit by a massive terror attack carried out by a homegrown Islamist radical.
As WVUE reported Sunday, Orleans Parish Assistant District Attorney Ian Kersting was discovered dead Saturday around 9 p.m. via suicide inside the offices of District Attorney Jason Williams’ staff according to authorities. His cause of death was an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
Police said emergency medical services arrived at 619 South White St., the DA’s office building, but Kersting was already deceased. He was just 34-years-old.
Williams’ office released the following statement:
The Orleans Parish DA’s Office family suffered a terrible tragedy Saturday night. Assistant District Attorney Ian Kersting was a beloved member of our office, and we send our love and deepest condolences to his family.
It’s important that we support each other right now, and we ask the media respect the privacy of the individuals impacted.
WVUE notes that Kersting specialized in sexual assault cases while working inside the DA’s office. He was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 2020.
The news of Kersting’s passing comes as the Big Easy continues to reel from a massive