Anna-Lisa Paul
The two men killed by police during a sting operation in Barataria on January 17 have been identified as Kyle Kent and Michael James.
Kent, 20, lived at Upper Garrick Street, Second Caledonia, while James, 27, was from Mt Hope Road, San Juan.
A 38-year-old man from Coconut Drive, Morvant, was the third suspect. Although detained and questioned, he has not yet been charged.
The incident allegedly occurred during an exercise by officers of the North Eastern Division as they worked to apprehend suspects that were reportedly using social media sites to lure unsuspecting victims purchasing vehicles to various locations and rob them.
The midday shoot-out occurred between Tenth Street and Eleventh Street, along Tenth Avenue, Barataria.
The sting operation took effect after more than 20 reports of robberies within the last three months, where all the victims reportedly made transactions online via Facebook Marketplace.
Police believe the majority of incidents centred around advertisements for vehicle sales which allegedly saw the suspects posing as sellers, following which they would rob the intended buyers of cash when they arrived at the agreed location.