An early morning shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, left two police officers injured and one suspect mortally wounded. As of 9 a.m.it was said that the officer was in surgery but is listed in stable condition.
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The Baton Rouge Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office are both conducting separate investigations into the shooting, which Moore on Saturday said is standard procedure with shootings involving police officers.
During the chase, a second officer arrived at the scene. He got out and fired several shots at the officers with a rifle, police said. The officers returned fire and struck Smith.
Smith was undergoing surgery at the same area hospital where the officers were being treated for injuries that were not life-threatening. A suspect at the scene fled in a auto, and two officers were involved in a pursuit until the shooter wrecked his vehicle in the 5600 block of Fairfields Avenue, Coppola said. The officers chased him until he bailed out of his vehicle at Chambers’ home, less than 2 miles away.
The suspect was shot and his condition is unknown.
Moore said a bullet grazed the head of one officer; the other officer was hit in the stomach but protected by his bulletproof vest.
Chambers said Smith has been grappling with “mental issues” and had attempted suicide before he moved from Shreveport to his native Baton Rouge. East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore says he believes the shooting was justified after reviewing dashcam footage from the incident.
Hope Walker, who said she’s a close friend of Smith’s, said she was staying with someone down the street when she heard three gunshots early Saturday morning.
The suspect was apparently also injured.
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“Everything is still preliminary, and we’re still working the scene”, Dabadie said. While there is partial evidence pointing to that, Moore said Smith’s motivation can not be confirmed at this time. “It appears the officers were trying to stop, open their doors, protect themselves and fire back after he shot a volley at both of the officers”. “I never in a million years would have thought this would be the outcome I would hear”.
