Paul Murphy / Eyewitness News
Email: pmurphy@wwltv.com | Twitter: @pmurphywwl
ST. JOHN, La. -- While the fallen St. John Parish deputies are laid to rest, investigators are putting together a profile of the group of suspects in their tragic shootings.
Some of the suspects have ties to a violent anti-government organization on the FBI's watch list.
Some of those accused in the killings of deputies Brandon Nielsen and Jeremy Triche worked as laborers at the Diamond Diesel refinery, now under construction next door to Valero's St. Charles refinery in Norco.
The main contractor on the job, Turner Industries of Baton Rouge, released a statement confirming their employment:
"Some of the suspects were Turner employees and due to the ongoing law enforcement investigation, we will have no further comment regarding the employment status of any of the suspects."
You can read that full statement here.
To work at an energy facility like Diamond, most employees would have to possess a transportation workers identification card. Before issuing a TWIC, Homeland Security is supposed to conduct a threat assessment of the applicant.
"With the energy arena, they have a fundamental understanding of who they are hiring and understand the process to find out what this guy's background is," said former FBI Special Agent In-Charge Jim Bernazzani. "If it's questionable, the guy doesn't get hired."
But some of the suspects apparently got hired despite their past problems with law enforcement.
Suspect Terry Smith had an affiliation with a right wing, anti-government group and a fugitive warrant from Tennessee.
Kyle Joekel also had outstanding warrants in Nebraska and Kansas. One charge accuses Joekel of making terrorist threats to a law enforcement officer.
Some of the other five arrested in the case also had prior run-ins with the law.
The FBI went door to door in the LaPlace trailer park where two deputies allegedly died in a shoot-out with members of the Smith clan.
Bernazzani said agents are likely looking into the breadth and scope of Smith's affiliation with the group Sovereign Citizens.
"Leadership, membership, finances, communications, assets and assets are weapons," said Bernazzani. "What do they have? Do they have explosives? Do they have AK-47s ? Do they have nothing?"
Turner Industries is cooperating with law enforcement investigating the shootings.
