Local law enforcement reacts to Baton Rouge shooting

Baton Rouge Shooting
Courtesy: NBC News

Baton Rouge, La. — Law enforcement agencies across the country are mourning the loss of three officers who were shot and killed in the line of duty in Baton Rouge on Sunday morning.

Here locally, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on their Facebook page following the shooting, writing, “Our thoughts and prayers are with those in Louisiana. We mourn again for our brothers and sisters in law enforcement as they and their families deal with this tragedy.”

In Louisiana, at least one suspect is dead. Law enforcement officials initially said they believed that two others suspects were at large, but at a news conference Sunday afternoon officials said the deceased suspect was likely the only shooter.

A senior law enforcement official said that suspect wore black fatigues and was armed with a rifle.

By 3 p.m. Sunday, state police said there was “no active shooter” situation.

Several law enforcement officials told NBC News that the man shot and killed in the shootout with police was identified as Gavin Long, of Kansas City, Missouri, born on July 17, 1987 — meaning he turned 29 on the morning of the shooting.

The attack comes less than two weeks after the fatal shooting of a black man by police sparked protests in Baton Rouge, turning the city into the latest flashpoint in the ongoing debate over law enforcement tactics.

The officers were responding to a call of shots fired when they were gunned down in an apparent “ambush” around 9 a.m. local time, said Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden.

Two of the officers killed were from the Baton Rouge Police Department. They were identified as Officer Montrell Jackson, 32, a 10-year veteran, and Matthew Gerald, 41, who had been serving for less than a year. Also killed was Brad Garafola, 45, a 24-year veteran of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s office, officials said.

The investigation is ongoing.

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