Three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers and a suspect are dead, and three others are hospitalized after a shooting Sunday morning in the city.
The shooting happened along Airline Highway, a major roadway in the city. Gunshots were reported from various places around the area as the shootings were happening. Shots and yelling can be heard on videos posted to social media soon after the attack.
Today’s attack comes 10 days after five officers were killed and nine injured in a sniper attack in Dallas. Tensions were high in the city following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alton Sterling, a black man killed by white officers July 5 after a scuffle at a convenience store.
Here’s what we know so far, very early into the investigation of the shootings:
- At about 8:39 a.m., an officer alerts a police dispatcher, that, a "lady who came up and said there was a suspect walking with a (unintelligible) and an assault rifle out here behind the store." The store is the B-Quick Convenience Store, according to Baton Rouge police corporal L'Jean McKneely. The store is about one mile from police headquarters.
- At 8:40 a.m., police report observing a man wearing all black and holding a rifle. Almost immediately, officers are calling for help and reporting shots fired. "Shots fired, officer down, shots fired, officer down!" police radio traffic recorded. "Got a city officer down, shots fired! Shots fired on Airline! I don't know where he's ****ing shooting from," the officer said.
- At 8:42 a.m., police report more shots fired.
- At 8:44 a.m., calls of "officers down" are being relayed to police dispatchers.
- At 8:45 a.m., reports of more shots fired.
- At 8:46 a.m., more reports of a suspect dressed in all black.
- At 8:48 a.m., emergency medical units arrive on scene. At that time, officers engage the suspect and kill him.
- Six officers were shot at the scene. Five were transported to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. Three of the officers were pronounced dead at the medical center. One of the others was listed in critical condition, the other listed in fair condition. The third officer who survived the shooting was taken to Baton Rouge General Medical Center with what was reported as non-life-threatening injuries.
- At 10 a.m., McKneely said, "We're securing the area with a deceased suspect, a suspect that has been killed. We're making sure there aren't any explosives in the area." McKneely said police sent a robot inside the B-Quick Convenience Store near the suspect's body to determine if there are any explosives in the store, The Advocate reported.
- Also around 10 a.m. law enforcement officers say they believe two other shooters were involved and are at large. They were asking for the public's help in finding them. "If they are wearing army fatigues; if they are wearing all black; if they are wearing a mask; if they are wearing anything that's out there, please, give us a call," he said.
- At 1:15 p.m. (CT) authorities say the situation was not a racial incident.
- A little after 2 p.m. (CT) President Obama condemns the attacks. "For the second time in two weeks, police officers who put their lives on the line for ours every day were doing their job when they were killed in a cowardly and reprehensible assault. These are attacks on public servants, on the rule of law, and on civilized society, and they have to stop."
Note: The situation is still being investigated and information is still being processed.
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