By KERI CHAMPION

Staff Reporter

RESERVE – A shotgun stolen from Emile Delauneuville in Reserve was later turned upon him in a struggle for possession of the stolen firearm, said Maj. Mike Tregre, spokesman for the St. John’s Parish Sheriff’s office.

Delauneuville and an unidentified male fought for possession of the 20 gauge gun in the backseat of Delauneuville’s truck, but the victim was not seriously injured, said Tregre.

According to Tregre, the gun was taken from the back seat of Delauneville’s truck after he gave the man a ride from the Fast Stop in Garyville to Reserve. The gun was wrested away from Delauneville inside the vehicle by the man and was pointed at Delauneuville and then robbed, &#8220You need more than $20!” demanded the man. They then struggled again for the firearm until the man broke away and fled with the weapon.

The suspect exited the truck and got into a red Cutlass on E. 24th St. The suspect then entered an abandoned house on Chad B. Baker street where he then pointed the gun at Delauneuville, Tregre explained.

Witnesses claimed to have heard several gunshots, possibly from an automatic, coming from the area near the abandoned house. However, Delauneuville stated that no shots were actually fired. Officers found no shell casings upon searching the area, nor have they been able to retrieve the shotgun.