NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans police say an officer shot and killed a driver early Monday after a shot was fired during a traffic stop.

Police spokesman Frank Robertson says Officer Fredrick Carter, a 14-year veteran of the department, stopped a van for a license plate violation. Robertson says Carter got out of his patrol car and gave commands to the driver to show his hands. As Carter approached the back of the vehicle, Robertson says, a gunshot was fired. He says Carter ran back to his car for cover and fired several shots toward the van killing the driver.

Police say a gun was found in the vehicle.

The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office will conduct an autopsy and release the identity of the victim.

An investigating into the shooting continues.