Police arrest suspect sought in killing of New Orleans officer

A man suspected of killing a police officer who was transporting him to jail in New Orleans on Saturday has been arrested, police said Sunday.

Daryle Holloway, 45, a 22-year veteran of the department, had been driving Travis Boys, 33, who had been arrested hours earlier on suspicion of aggravated assault.

Police said Boys, who was handcuffed in the back seat en route from the 5th District police station to the Orleans Parish Prison, somehow had two weapons with him — a .38-caliber gun and a .48-caliber gun. Despite previous reports that he shot Holloway with the officer's own gun, New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said Boys shot Holloway with the .48-caliber gun.

It's not clear whether Holloway died from the gunshot wound, because he crashed his vehicle into a utility pole. An autopsy is pending.

Harrison said Boys underwent questioning at the 5th District police station before entering Holloway's vehicle.

Boys used the .38-caliber gun in the assault he was originally arrested for, Harrison said. Harrison said how Boys had these two weapons in the police vehicle is still under investigation.

"We realized that's an obvious issue, so there are safety concerns and procedural concerns between training and internal investigations," Harrison said Sunday. "We're going to find out how that happened to ensure that will absolutely never happen again."

Boys has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated escape and illegal possession of firearms. Boys was originally arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault of a woman.

Boys was arrested in New Orleans after a more than 24-hour manhunt. A New Orleans Police officer spotted Boys as he was attempting to board an RTA bus. He was found with broken handcuffs on his wrists.

The search for Boys — conducted on land and in the air — included participation from agencies such as the U.S. Marshals Service, New Orleans State Police and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu called the incident as a "despicable, cowardly act," and thanked all those involved in the search for Boys for their work after the loss of their friend.

"This is a terrible, unspeakable tragedy for the city of New Orleans," Landrieu said Sunday. "I think people would agree that we lost a hero, and it's going to take time for us to recover. He was more than just a good cop; he was a good man, a good father."

Harrison described Holloway as a "very experienced" officer known for his dedication to the job and fun-loving personality. He notified Holloway's family and fellow officers of the death Saturday.

"Up until yesterday he was a guy full of life," Harrison said Sunday. "You couldn't be around him for longer than a minute or two without becoming his friend. I'm going to miss him. We're all going to miss him, and New Orleans will miss Daryle Holloway."

Danny Monteverde, of WWL-TV, contributed reporting from New Orleans.