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Baton Rouge shooting: 3 officers killed, suspect dead

By Kimberly Richardson
By Kimberly Richardson

What we know: 

  • A gunman named Gavin Long from Kansas City, MO shot and killed 3 officers Sunday morning
  • 2 Baton Rouge police officers named Montrell Jackson and Matthew Gerald were killed.
  • East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's deputy Brad Garafola was killed.
  • Three other officers were injured; 1 in critical condition and 2 in stable condition
  • Long was a Marine and served in Iraq
  • Feds investigating ties between Long and anti-government group.

BATON ROUGE — Three officers were killed and three other officers were injured in a Baton Rouge shooting Sunday morning. One of the officers injured in this shooting is in critical condition.

Police confirmed Sunday afternoon that one suspect has been killed, and they are not looking for anymore suspects.

Baton Rouge police say a call came in to dispatch about a man carrying a rifle near Airline Highway and Old Hammond Highway.

Officers at a convenience store observed the shooter wearing all black standing behind a beauty supply store holding a rifle.

At 8:42 a.m., police got reports of shots fired, and received reports of an officer down at 8:44 a.m.

Police say they got reports of more shots fired at 8:45 a.m.

Officers reported seeing the shooter standing near a car wash at 8:46 a.m.

Baton Rouge police say backup responding to the scene engaged the shooter and killed him.

Two Baton Rouge police officers and one East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's deputy were killed in the shooting. Three other members of law enforcement were injured.

The Baton Rouge ABC affiliate WBRZ has confirmed the two Baton Rouge police officers killed were Montrell Jackson, 32, and Matthew Gerald, 41. WBRZ also confirmed Brad Garafola, 45, was the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's deputy killed in the attack.

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One East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's deputy is in critical condition. Two other officers suffered non-life threatening injuries in this shooting.

Police have identified as Gavin Long, 29, of Kansas City, MO.

Long is listed as a former Marine in public records. He’s listed to have started duty in August 2005 until his discharge as an E-5 level sergeant in August 2010. Records have also revealed that the man carried out the attack that killed three and injured three more on his birthday.

Federal investigators are looking into ties between Long and an anti-government group. There may be links between Long and the group called Moorish Science Temple of America.

The shooting comes amid spiraling tensions across the city -- and the country -- between the black community and police.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards calls the Baton Rouge shooting "an absolutely unspeakable heinous attack".

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Multiple police units were stationed at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, where stricken the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputy went into surgery.

A police officer with a long gun was blocking the parking lot at the emergency room.

Police-community relations in Baton Rouge have been especially tense since the killing of 37-year-old Alton Sterling, a black man killed by white officers earlier this month after a scuffle at a convenience store. The killing was captured on cellphone video and circulated widely on the internet.

Quinyetta McMillon, mother of Alton Sterlin's son Cameron released a statement in response to the Baton Rouge shooting that killed three officers:

"We are disgusted by the despicable act of violence today that resulted in the shooting deaths of members of the Baton Rouge law enforcement.

 

My family is heartbroken for the officers and their families.  We are praying for them, city leadership and the Baton Rouge community.

 

As my son Cameron and I have said from the beginning, all we want is peace.  We reject violence of any kind directed at members of law enforcement or citizens.     

 

My hope is that one day soon we can come together and find solutions to the very important issues facing our nation rather than continuing to hurt one another."  

It was followed a day later by the shooting death of another black man in Minnesota, whose girlfriend livestreamed the aftermath of his death on Facebook. Then on Thursday, a black gunman in Dallas opened fire on police at a protest about the police shootings, killing five officers and heightening tensions even further.

Over the weekend, thousands of people took to the streets in Baton Rouge to condemn Sterling's death, including hundreds of demonstrators who congregated outside the police station. Authorities arrested about 200 people over the three-day weekend.

Michelle Rogers, 56, said the pastor at her church had led prayers Sunday for Sterling's family and police officers, asking members of the congregation to stand up if they knew an officer.

Rogers said an officer in the congregation hastily left the church near the end of the service, and a pastor announced that "something had happened."

"But he didn't say what. Then we started getting texts about officers down," she said.

Rogers and her husband drove near the scene, but were blocked at an intersection closed down by police.

"I can't explain what brought us here," she said. "We just said a prayer in the car for the families."

Timeline of events: 

7:00 p.m.

The family of Alton Sterling released a statement in response to the shooting that killed 3 officers.

5:39 p.m.

Sources confirmed the officers killed in Baton Rouge Sunday morning were Montrell Jackson, Matthew Gerald and Brad Garafola.

5:03 p.m.

Police identified the shooter as 29-year-old Gavin Long of Kansas City, MO

4:00 p.m.

Louisiana State Police confirm the gunman has been killed, and there are no active shooters on the loose.

2:45 p.m.

1:20 p.m.

The White House says President Barack Obama has been briefed on the shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has asked to be updated throughout the day as more details become available.

The White House has been in contact with local officials in Baton Rouge and offered any assistance necessary.

Obama spent most of last week focused on trying to reduce tensions and helping build trust between police and the communities they serve.

Obama attended a memorial service for five Dallas police officers last week and also led a nearly four-hour meeting featuring dozens of leaders from police organizations, community activists and elected officials.

He also spoke by telephone to the families of two black men shot in separate incidents in Baton Rouge and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota.

12:45 p.m.

Police in Louisiana say they are using a specialized robot to check for explosives near the body of a suspect who was shot and killed in Baton Rouge early Sunday.

The suspect is believed to have been involved in the shooting of law enforcement officers in the Louisiana city early Sunday.

Three officers are dead and three are hospitalized with injuries. The shooting occurred less than 1 mile from police headquarters.

Baton Rouge Police Cpl. L'Jean Mckneely Jr. says authorities do not have an immediate indication that explosives are present.

12:25 p.m.

Authorities say three law enforcement officers have been killed and three have been injured in a shooting in Louisiana.

A sheriff's spokesman in Baton Rouge also said that one suspect is dead and two others are believed to be at large.

Spokesman Casey Rayborn Hicks issued a statement asking the public to report anything suspicious in the area to 911.

Officers and deputies from the Baton Rouge Police Department and East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office were involved in the Sunday morning shooting that took place less than 1 miles from police headquarters.

The Associated Press contributed to this article. 

Cox Media Group

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