Three police officers were shot to death and three others wounded in Baton Rouge on Sunday, less than two weeks after a black man was killed by police in the Louisiana city, sparking nationwide protests.
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State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson said Long, who he said had been in Baton Rouge for several days, came to the city with a plan to harm law enforcement officers.
Baton Rouge police officer Montrell Jackson has been identified as one of the victims killed in a shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Sunday, July 17. “We are still trying to find out what his motive was, and that’s going to be part of our investigation”.
The man identified as the killer of three United States police officers in Baton Rouge had posted videos complaining at police treatment of African Americans and urging them to “fight back”.
The targeting of officers comes amid growing anger in communities over police brutality – including the death of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, at the hands of police.
Surveillance photos of the gunman in the Baton Rouge shooting have been released by officials, as the police said the attacker “intentionally targeted” police. Long, dressed in black and armed with a rifle, was shot dead on Sunday morning in a gunfight with police.
Reuters said that documents showed Long sought to change his name previous year to Cosmo Setepenra.
During the conference, officials noted that Long prepared for the shooting by traveling all the way from Kansas City, Missouri, where he rented a auto, then drove to Texas.
What these shooters were not, it appears, in any way affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Long, the gunman in Baton Rouge, was a US Marine sergeant who served in Iraq and made the dean’s list in college.
In documents seeking the name change, Long also referred to himself as a member of a black separatist group known as the Washitaw Nation. “No one’s flawless but we’ve got the best on the face of the earth”, Williams said. Long was fit and “articulate in all manners of engagement”, he said.
“I swear to God I love this city but I wonder if this city loves me”, he wrote on July 8.
Long was shot later as he returned to his auto by a member of Baton Rouge’s SWAT team from about 100 yards away, Edmonson said.
“Please don’t let hate infect your heart”, he wrote.
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The third was 41-year-old Matthew Gerald. One officer remains in critical condition. “In uniform I get nasty hateful looks and out of uniform some consider me a threat”. He said after the meeting that what happened in Baton Rouge is a reminder of the extraordinary risks and dangers that law enforcement officers take every day “to protect us and our way of life”.
