A former Marine dressed in black and carrying extra ammunition ambushed police in Baton Rouge, shooting and killing three law enforcement officers less than two weeks after a black man was fatally shot by police there in a confrontation that sparked nightly protests that reverberated nationwide.
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The gunman, identified as Gavin Eugene Long, from Kansas City, Missouri, also died at the scene.
As well as the three policemen he killed, three others were wounded – one is in a critical condition.
The source said there was reason to believe a 911 call may have been used to lure police to the shooting scene, and the possibility that it had been a conspiracy was being examined by investigators.
The shooting took place after police responded to a call of a “suspicious person walking down Airline Highway with an assault rifle”.
Long, from Kansas City, Missouri, turned 29 on Sunday, the same day he opened fire.
Just days earlier, one of the murdered officers posted an emotional Facebook message about the challenges of police work in the current environment.
US President Barack Obama urged people to tamp down inflammatory words and actions.
According to CBS News, Long was honorably discharged from the Marines in 2010 after serving since 2005. Long was deployed to Iraq from June 2008 to January 2009. A spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Centre, which tracks extremist groups, said she had no information about that.
A spokesman for the Louisiana State Police says they believe Long was the only shooter. Two “persons of interest” were detained for questioning in the nearby town of Addis.
Mr Cain said authorities planned to continue investigating whether the gunman had any assistance “indirectly, directly here or at home”. His occupational expertise was listed as “data network specialist”.
Speaking for the 17th time in the wake of a domestic mass shooting, Obama once again called for Americans to unite – especially ahead of two weeks of potentially turbulent political conventions. In all, the violence has cost the lives of eight officers, including those in Baton Rouge, and two civilians and sparked a national debate over race and policing. 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, officials said.
As part of their investigation, authorities are examining the gunmen’s social media activity for clues into the attack.
Police said they recovered Long’s cellphone during the altercation with law enforcement.
Trump said he thinks officers in the USA are treated “so unfairly”.
“We are asking for your prayers at this time”, the sheriff said.
A Kansas City, Mo., man suspected of killing three Baton Rouge police officers on Sunday spent much of his final days shadowing peaceful protests but not participating.
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“They’re under attack and now they’re under attack in the true sense of the word”, Trump added, citing Sunday’s shooting in Baton Rouge, La.
