BATON ROUGE - Nick Tullier, a sheriff's deputy who spent nearly six years in different hospitals after he was shot in an ambush targeting Baton Rouge law enforcement, has died. 

Tullier's family said he passed Thursday morning, publishing a short statement on social media saying that "God gained his best angel."

The deputy's body was escorted from Our Lady of the Lake to a funeral home in Denham Springs Thursday afternoon.

His funeral is scheduled May 10 at Healing Place Church on Highland Road. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m., with services beginning at 1 p.m..

A procession will then bring him to Evergreen Memorial Park in Denham Springs, where he will be buried with full honors. 

Earlier this week, Tullier's family said doctors didn't "know how much time he has left" and said his condition had turned critical due to a worsening infection.

Tullier was shot July 17, 2016 when a gunman opened fire near a gas station on Airline Highway, a short distance from Baton Rouge Police headquarters. Investigators said the attacker specifically targeted law enforcement in the shooting. 

Three others died in the attack, two BRPD officers and a sheriff's deputy: Montrell Jackson, Matthew Gerald and Brad Garafola.

The Baton Rouge mayor-president's office released the following statement Thursday morning.

"Deputy Nick Tullier is a true hero who served East Baton Rouge Parish with honor and distinction. Deputy Tullier and his fellow law enforcement officers put their lives on the line so the rest of us could be safe. His life epitomized what it means to protect and serve. I have ordered the flags at half-staff at all City-Parish buildings in his honor. Please join me in keeping his family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers."