PRAIRIEVILLE - A state policeman was found dead in Ascension Parish Saturday evening as law enforcement searched for a gunman who put three parishes on edge this weekend.

State Police said Matthew Mire shot and killed Master State Trooper Adam Gaubert in an ambush Saturday morning.  Mire was taken into custody late Saturday night after a manhunt that went on for most of the day. 

Click here to see video of the trooper's procession Saturday night

Gaubert was a 19-year veteran of the force who lived a life dedicated to keeping the public safe, the head of State Police, Col. Lamar Davis said in a tribute to Gaubert late Saturday.

Gaubert exemplified the agency’s highest priorities of “honor, duty, selfless service and courage,” Davis said. 

The trooper was found shot at the corner of Old Jefferson and Airline Highway Saturday around 6 p.m. where a massive law enforcement presence was noticed.  Mire ambushed Gaubert hours earlier, Davis said, in a three parish crime spree.  In all, five people were shot, two were killed - Master Trooper Gaubert and a woman at another crime scene, and a state trooper was fired upon. 

Master Trooper Gaubert has been working for the Louisiana State Police for 19 years. 

Stream WBRZ newscasts here for live reports.

Click HERE for the details on the multi-parish crime spree.

Gaubert’s death was “senseless and tragic,” Col. Davis said.

State Police will investigate the lengthy time it took to find Gaubert's body.  

“It’s a tough night, one of the toughest nights of my entire career.  It hurts.  But, we will get through it,” Davis said Saturday just before midnight. 

Gaubert is one of just more than two dozen State Police agents to have been killed in the line of duty in 100 years.  Visit the memorial web page here.

Gov. John Bel Edwards released a statement about Gaubert early Sunday:

“Master Trooper Adam Gaubert dedicated his long career with the Louisiana State Police to protecting the people of our state and it is with a heavy heart that I mourn his death from injuries sustained in the line of duty on Saturday. He served selflessly and courageously to keep our people and our communities safe, and he represents the best of all us.

Please join Donna and me in praying for Trooper Gaubert and his family, his friends and the many people whose lives he touched. Our thoughts are also with the Louisiana State Police family, as it has lost a dedicated and loyal teammate and a brother.

Preliminary information indicates that Trooper Gaubert was shot and killed in the area in which an early morning homicide occurred. I am thankful for Louisiana State Police and all law enforcement agencies that worked together to capture the suspect in these homicides. It is my hope that we will have a clearer picture of what happened as the investigation continues and that justice will be served for Trooper Gaubert.”