Man indicted in death of off-duty deputy

A Franklin man has been indicted in connection with the shooting death of an off-duty St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy in December 2016.

A grand jury last week indicted John D. Adams II, 24, of Franklin, on a charge of negligent homicide in the death of Jason T. Hagan. The indictment took place in 16th Judicial District Court, St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court records stated.

Hagan, 24, a St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy, died as the result of an off-duty shooting that occurred Dec. 8, 2016, in Franklin, according to a sheriff’s office news release shortly after Hagan’s death.

Hagan’s cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head and manner of death was a homicide, said Dr. F.H . Metz Jr, St. Mary Parish’s coroner.

Hagan had worked as a corrections officer at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center in Centerville since February 2015.

Judge Vincent Borne set Adams’ bail at $5,000. Adams doesn’t have an attorney listed in court records.

On Tuesday, Adams was arrested by Louisiana State Police and booked into the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center in Centerville, court records stated.

At the time of Hagan’s death, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert said, “It is a sad day. Our law enforcement family is mourning the loss of a young man who was just beginning his career in law enforcement. That bright future is gone. My thoughts and prayers are with Hagan’s family, his friends, and our brothers and sisters in blue who served closely alongside him.”

According to Hagan’s obituary, he was a longtime resident of New Iberia and had known that he wanted to be a police officer since he was child.