ST. GABRIEL — A 66-year-old man from St. Gabriel died after he crashed his car into a bayou on Sunday evening, the St. Gabriel Police Department said Monday. 

SGPD said the crash took the life of Wardell Valentine. The wreck happened on Martin Luther King Parkway near Ointment Road around 7:30 p.m. 

Responding officers found Valentine with critical injuries in his car in a nearby bayou. Police said first-responders attempted life-saving measures, but Valentine died at the scene. 

"Wardell Valentine is a lifelong resident of St. Gabriel, and his absence will truly be missed by the community," SGPD said. "Chief K. Ambeau Sr., on behalf of the entire St. Gabriel Police Department, would like to extend his deepest condolences to the Valentine family, as well as a host of other family and friends who are mourning this profound loss."

Police are still investigating how the crash happened. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to reach out to the St. Gabriel Police Department.