Three more officers were shot and are being treated at a nearby hospital.
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President Barack Obama condemned the shooting as “cowardly” assault and called for national unity, urging Americans and political leaders to avoid inflammatory words and focus on “uniting the country rather than dividing it”.
According to military records, Long was a Marine from 2005 to 2010 and rose to the rank of sergeant.
A wave of mass protests has gripped the United States since the recent killing of 37-year old Alton Sterling, a black man who was shot dead by two white police officers in the city of Baton Rouge on July 5. In one of the videos, Long also defended the Dallas shooter who killed five police officers on July 7. “We need to temper our words and open our hearts, all of us”.
State police also extend thoughts and prayers to the Baton Rouge police force. Long turned 29 years old on the day of the shooting.
The new father had taken to social media to describe the difficulties of being both a black man and a police officer in the wake of the fatal shootings Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
A Facebook page belonging to Matthew Gerald in Baton Rouge featured images of law enforcement badges, and friends and family posted condolences on a page that appeared to belong to his wife.
Customers got trapped in this IKEA for 4 hoursAlthough he was believed to be the only person who fired at officers, authorities said they were unsure if he had some kind of help. “The police were driven back by flames, and when medics arrived they had to treat the officers, including Jackson, for smoke inhalation”.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called the shootings an ” unspeakable, heinous attack” that served no goal.
Names have emerged of the three law enforcement officers killed this morning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 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. “We send their condolences to them and their families, their loved ones”. Baton Rouge’s mayor’s office said at least two officers were killed.
Jonathan Saunders, a friend of Jackson, said the officer was a big man – but gentle and kind.
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While the scene of the shootings was contained, police warned residents to stay away from the area, near Airline Highway, which is a mile from the Baton Rouge Police Department headquarters, where dozens of protesters were arrested earlier this month.
