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Officials Provide Details On Baton Rouge Shooting Investigation

A church sign near the site of the shooting of six police officers in Baton Rouge on Sunday.
Jesse Hardman
/
WWNO
A church sign near the site of the shooting of six police officers in Baton Rouge on Sunday.

Governor John Bel Edwards and state and local law enforcement held a press conference Monday afternoon to provide details on their investigation into an attack on police officers on Sunday in Baton Rouge. Three officers were killed and three were wounded in the attack. The shooter was shot and killed on the scene.

The gunman has been identified as Gavin Eugene Long. He appears to be from Kansas City, Missouri and carried out the shooting on his 29th birthday.  The motive for the shooting is unclear.

FBI Agent Jeff Sallet says federal investigators are trying to figure out Long had any associates or support.

Gov. Edwards says of Long, “He came in here from somewhere else to do harm to our community and specifically to the law enforcement officers in our community.”

Louisiana State Police Col. Mike Edmonson says Long clearly targeted law enforcement, carrying two rifles and a 9 mm handgun in the ambush.

The three slain officers are Baton Rouge Police Officers Matthew Gerald and Montrell Jackson, and East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Deputy Brad Garafola. One of the three officers wounded has been released from a hospital. Two are still being treated.

Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid J. Gautreaux says the gunman killed his deputies at close range and was moving in on two other officers after wounding him when he was finally taken down.

Gautreaux says that if Long hadn't been killed at the scene, "we would have had two other slain deputies and that individual would have had the opportunity to get into his car and go after other targets."

Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden thanked the mayor of Orlando, Florida for reaching out to him in support just weeks after that city's nightclub attack. Holden addressed the killer, saying, "You have slain some law enforcement officials," the mayor said, but "this city, this state and this nation will rise again."

Tegan has reported on the coast for WWNO since 2015. In this role she has covered a wide range of issues and subjects related to coastal land loss, coastal restoration, and the culture and economy of Louisiana’s coastal zone, with a focus on solutions and the human dimensions of climate change. Her reporting has been aired nationally on Planet Money, Reveal, All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Marketplace, BBC, CBC and other outlets. She’s a recipient of the Pulitzer Connected Coastlines grant, CUNY Resilience Fellowship, Metcalf Fellowship, and countless national and regional awards.

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