3 officers dead, 3 injured in Baton Rouge shooting, officials say
Three officers are confirmed dead and three others wounded after a shooting in Baton Rouge, a sheriff's office spokeswoman said Sunday. One suspect is dead and law enforcement officials believe two others are still at large, the spokeswoman said.
Casey Rayborn Hicks, a spokeswoman for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, said in a statement that the public should call 911 immediately if they see anything suspicious.
The shooting - which happened just before 9 a.m., less than a mile from police headquarters - comes amid spiraling tensions across the city - and the country - between the black community and police. The races of the suspect or suspects and the officers were not immediately known.
Baton Rouge Police Sgt. Don Coppola told the Associated Press earlier that the officers were rushed to a local hospital. Coppola said authorities are asking people to stay away from the area.
Multiple police units were stationed at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, where stricken officers were believed to be undergoing treatment at a trauma center. A police officer with a long gun was blocking the parking lot at the emergency room.
Officers and deputies from both the Sheriff’s Office and the Baton Rouge Police Department were involved, according to Hicks.
An Associated Press reporter on the scene saw police vehicles with lights flashing massed about half a mile from the police headquarters on Airline Highway. Police armed with long guns on the road stopped at least two vehicles driving away from the scene and checked their vehicles, including their trunks, before allowing them to drive away.
Police-community relations in Baton Rouge have been especially tense since the killing of 37-year-old Alton Sterling, a black man killed by white officers this month after a scuffle at a convenience store. The killing was captured on cellphone video and circulated widely on the internet.
It was followed a day later by the shooting death of a black man in Minnesota, whose girlfriend livestreamed the aftermath of his death on Facebook. Then on Thursday, a black gunman in Dallas opened fire on police at a protest about the police shootings, killing five officers and heightening tensions even further.
Over the weekend, thousands of people took to the streets in Baton Rouge to condemn Sterling's death, including hundreds of demonstrators who congregated outside the police station. Authorities arrested about 200 people over the three-day weekend.
Michelle Rogers, 56, said the pastor at her church had led prayers Sunday for Sterling's family and police officers, asking members of the congregation to stand up if they knew an officer.
Rogers said an officer in the congregation hastily left the church near the end of the service, and a pastor announced that “something had happened.”
“But he didn't say what,” she said. “Then we started getting texts about officers down.”
Rogers and her husband drove near the scene, but were blocked at an intersection closed down by police.
“I can't explain what brought us here,” she said. “We just said a prayer in the car for the families.”
UPDATES:
[10:30 a.m.: 2 other suspects may be at large, officials ask public to stay indoors]
Gunmen attacked police officers in Baton Rouge on Sunday morning, killing three officers and injuring three more.
One suspect is dead and two others may still be at large, according to Casey Rayborn Hicks, a spokeswoman for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office.
Officials are advising that the scene is still active, and asking the public to stay indoors and call 911 immediately if they see anything suspicious.
At about 9 a.m., Baton Rouge police officers and East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputies were attacked on Airline Highway, less than a mile from the Baton Rouge Police Department’s headquarters, Hicks said in a statement. Multiple officers from both agencies sustained injuries and were taken to local hospitals.
Police were responding to a call of a suspicious person with an assault rifle walking down Airline Highway, according to CNN. When police arrived at the scene, the suspect opened fire.
The shootings come at a time of heightened tension in Baton Rouge after deadly police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, and the killing of five police officers in Dallas earlier this month.
Protests have taken place on Airline Highway since Alton Sterling, a 35-year-old black man, was shot several times July 5 after being tackled to the ground by two white Baton Rouge police officers. There was no protest taking place at the time of Sunday’s shooting, Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden told NBC.
Four young people were arrested last week and accused of plotting to shoot and kill police officers, part of what authorities described as a "substantial, credible threat" to harm law enforcement officers in the Baton Rouge area.
9:33 a.m.: Updated with officials saying three officers are dead and three others injured.
8:40 a.m.: Updated with details throughout.
Associated Press
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-baton-rouge-police-shooting-20160717-snap-story.html
Casey Rayborn Hicks, a spokeswoman for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, said in a statement that the public should call 911 immediately if they see anything suspicious.
The shooting - which happened just before 9 a.m., less than a mile from police headquarters - comes amid spiraling tensions across the city - and the country - between the black community and police. The races of the suspect or suspects and the officers were not immediately known.
Baton Rouge Police Sgt. Don Coppola told the Associated Press earlier that the officers were rushed to a local hospital. Coppola said authorities are asking people to stay away from the area.
Multiple police units were stationed at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, where stricken officers were believed to be undergoing treatment at a trauma center. A police officer with a long gun was blocking the parking lot at the emergency room.
Officers and deputies from both the Sheriff’s Office and the Baton Rouge Police Department were involved, according to Hicks.
An Associated Press reporter on the scene saw police vehicles with lights flashing massed about half a mile from the police headquarters on Airline Highway. Police armed with long guns on the road stopped at least two vehicles driving away from the scene and checked their vehicles, including their trunks, before allowing them to drive away.
Police-community relations in Baton Rouge have been especially tense since the killing of 37-year-old Alton Sterling, a black man killed by white officers this month after a scuffle at a convenience store. The killing was captured on cellphone video and circulated widely on the internet.
It was followed a day later by the shooting death of a black man in Minnesota, whose girlfriend livestreamed the aftermath of his death on Facebook. Then on Thursday, a black gunman in Dallas opened fire on police at a protest about the police shootings, killing five officers and heightening tensions even further.
Over the weekend, thousands of people took to the streets in Baton Rouge to condemn Sterling's death, including hundreds of demonstrators who congregated outside the police station. Authorities arrested about 200 people over the three-day weekend.
Michelle Rogers, 56, said the pastor at her church had led prayers Sunday for Sterling's family and police officers, asking members of the congregation to stand up if they knew an officer.
Rogers said an officer in the congregation hastily left the church near the end of the service, and a pastor announced that “something had happened.”
“But he didn't say what,” she said. “Then we started getting texts about officers down.”
Rogers and her husband drove near the scene, but were blocked at an intersection closed down by police.
“I can't explain what brought us here,” she said. “We just said a prayer in the car for the families.”
UPDATES:
[10:30 a.m.: 2 other suspects may be at large, officials ask public to stay indoors]
Gunmen attacked police officers in Baton Rouge on Sunday morning, killing three officers and injuring three more.
One suspect is dead and two others may still be at large, according to Casey Rayborn Hicks, a spokeswoman for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office.
Officials are advising that the scene is still active, and asking the public to stay indoors and call 911 immediately if they see anything suspicious.
At about 9 a.m., Baton Rouge police officers and East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputies were attacked on Airline Highway, less than a mile from the Baton Rouge Police Department’s headquarters, Hicks said in a statement. Multiple officers from both agencies sustained injuries and were taken to local hospitals.
Police were responding to a call of a suspicious person with an assault rifle walking down Airline Highway, according to CNN. When police arrived at the scene, the suspect opened fire.
The shootings come at a time of heightened tension in Baton Rouge after deadly police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, and the killing of five police officers in Dallas earlier this month.
Protests have taken place on Airline Highway since Alton Sterling, a 35-year-old black man, was shot several times July 5 after being tackled to the ground by two white Baton Rouge police officers. There was no protest taking place at the time of Sunday’s shooting, Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden told NBC.
Four young people were arrested last week and accused of plotting to shoot and kill police officers, part of what authorities described as a "substantial, credible threat" to harm law enforcement officers in the Baton Rouge area.
9:33 a.m.: Updated with officials saying three officers are dead and three others injured.
8:40 a.m.: Updated with details throughout.
Associated Press
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-baton-rouge-police-shooting-20160717-snap-story.html