Christian Headlines Blog Christian Blog and Commentary

Get guidance on Bible study from C.S. Lewis - Free Course!

Baton Rouge: 3 Police Officers Targeted and Killed in Weekend Shooting

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

    More
  • Updated Jul 18, 2016

Three police officers were shot and killed in Baton Rouge on Sunday after they responded to an emergency call. Their deaths follow a series of recent tragedies involving police violence.

ABC News reports that the three officers were killed by a gunman when they responded to a 911 call. Three other officers were wounded in the shooting. 

The officers were Montrell Jackson, 32, Matthew Gerald, 41, and Brad Garafola, 45. They were part of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Department. 

The gunman has been identified as former U.S. Marine Gavin Long, 29. Long reportedly drove from his home in Kansas City, Missouri to target the officers in Baton Rouge. He was killed during the shooting.

Two other suspects were apprehended after the attack, but were later released. Police believe Long was responsible for the shooting, but they are still investigating.

"We believe the person that shot and killed our officers, that he is a person that was shot and killed at the scene," stated Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson.

This tragedy follows in the wake of another Baton Rouge shooting of African-American man Alton Sterling by a police officer. This event, along with the police shooting of Philando Castile in St. Paul, Minnesota, led to widespread protests against police violence.

Police themselves were then targeted in the deadly Dallas shooting which took the lives of five officers. 

The nation was again thrown into mourning after Sunday’s shooting.

"This is truly a sad day in Baton Rouge," Mayor Kip Holden said. "We continue to ask the question and continue to make the statement, let peace prevail in Baton Rouge and this parish. We must look ahead. We thank our officers who have fallen in the line of duty, we pray for their families and we pray for peace everywhere."

Baton Rouge’s Catholic Bishop Robert Muench is calling for a week of fasting and prayer following the shooting.

 

Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

Publication date: July 18, 2016