Charles Verdin Obituary, Death – A 58-year-old man was shot and killed by deputies from the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office in Hahnville on Thursday morning after reportedly threatening two individuals with a realistic-looking pellet rifle and subsequently aiming the weapon at responding officers, as stated by the department.
The man has been identified as Charles Verdin, who was known by the nickname “Charlie Brown.” He resided on the 100 block of Nicholas Street, where the incident took place.
Anita Nicholas, a family member and nearby neighbor, recounted that she was driving in the area when Verdin was shot. “We witnessed him get shot this morning,” the 72-year-old said. “From what I understand, they saw him lift a gun, and they opened fire.”
The incident began when the Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 7 a.m. reporting a man who had pointed a gun threateningly at two people while walking nearby. Upon arrival, deputies discovered Verdin sitting in the driver’s seat of a van parked behind a warehouse, facing Nicholas Street.
According to Nicholas and Verdin’s cousin, Peter Thibodeaux, 52, Verdin lived in a trailer located behind the warehouse, and the van was parked in his yard.
Law enforcement positioned themselves around the van and attempted for several minutes to persuade Verdin to exit the vehicle using a loudspeaker. Nicholas, who was driving another family member to an early appointment, noticed the area surrounding Verdin’s van was blocked by sheriff’s vehicles. As she tried to maneuver around a patrol car, an armed deputy approached her and instructed her to back up. During this process, she observed three other armed deputies shouting for Verdin to leave the van.
The Sheriff’s Office reported that Verdin refused repeated requests to put down the weapon and exit the van with his hands raised. According to officials, Verdin then “aggressively pointed what appeared to be an AR-15 style rifle” at the deputies, which led them to discharge their weapons in response.
Verdin was struck multiple times by the gunfire, and despite the immediate response of EMTs, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Later, crime scene technicians determined that the weapon Verdin was holding was a realistic airsoft pellet gun.