3 officers dead, 3 hurt in Baton Rouge shooting; Utah attorney general comments

Baton Rouge Police block Airline Highway after police were shot Sunday. Authorities say multiple law enforcement officers have been killed and injured in the shooting. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 17, 2016 | AP Photo/Max Becherer; St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Three officers are confirmed dead and three others wounded after a shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 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.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes issued the following statement Sunday:

“The tragedies in Louisiana and Florida this morning only deepen our sorrow as we mourn precious lives lost in such senseless ways at home and abroad over the past several months. Whether American or French lives, law enforcement or civilian lives, regardless of religion, race, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status, our hearts do not discriminate in our grief and our prayers are neither selective nor withheld from sincere expression of love, support and solidarity for friends and loved ones of victims.

“Each of these victims, under other circumstances, could be members of our very own families and are members of our extended global family. On this day, a Sabbath to many around the world, may our prayers and thoughts be united for more peace and understanding locally and globally.” 

Baton Rouge police block Airline Highway after police were shot in Baton Rouge, La., Sunday. Authorities in Louisiana say several law enforcement officers are dead, and several injured in Baton Rouge after on-duty law enforcement officers were shot on Sunday morning. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 17, 2016 | AP Photo/Max Becherer; St. George News
Baton Rouge police block Airline Highway after police were shot in Baton Rouge, La., Sunday. Authorities in Louisiana say several law enforcement officers are dead, and several injured in Baton Rouge after on-duty law enforcement officers were shot on Sunday morning. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 17, 2016 | AP Photo/Max Becherer; St. George News

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, shootings (AP)

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 1 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.

Spokeswoman Ashley Mendoza said the hospital received five patients from the police shooting, all “law enforcement professionals.” Of the two who survived the shooting, one is in critical condition and the other is in fair condition.

Baton Rouge police officers man a roadblock at Old Hammond Highway and Tara Boulevard after multiple officers were shot, Sunday. Baton Rouge, Louisiana,  July 17, 2016 | AP Photo/Mike Kunzelman; St. George News
Baton Rouge police officers man a roadblock at Old Hammond Highway and Tara Boulevard after multiple officers were shot, Sunday. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 17, 2016 | AP Photo/Mike Kunzelman; St. George News

Officers and deputies from the Baton Rouge Police Department and East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office were involved, according to Hicks.

Gov. John Bel Edwards asked the public to pray for the officers involved nad their families.

“Rest assured, every resource available to the State of Louisiana will be used to ensure the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice,” Edwards said in a statement.

An Associated Press reporter on the scene saw police vehicles with lights flashing massed about a half 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 trunks and vehicles 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 earlier this month after a scuffle at a convenience store. The killing was captured on cellphone video and circulated widely on the internet.

Authorities talk to the driver of a car near an area where several officers were shot while on duty less than a mile from police headquarters, Sunday, July 17, 2016, in Baton Rouge, La. | AP Photo by Mike Kunzelman, St. George News
Authorities talk to the driver of a car near an area where several officers were shot while on duty less than a mile from police headquarters, Sunday, July 17, 2016, in Baton Rouge, La. | AP Photo by Mike Kunzelman, St. George News

It was followed a day later by the shooting death of another 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.


Read more: UPDATE: Dallas suspect told police he wanted to kill white officers


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. Then we started getting texts about officers down,” she said.

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.”

AP report written by MIKE KUNZELMAN, Associated Press

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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24 Comments

  • ladybugavenger July 17, 2016 at 1:14 pm

    I’ll be your proofreader.

    “Gov. John Bel Edwards asked the public to pray for the officers involved nad their families.”

    It’s and not “bad”

    Happy Sunday!

    • ladybugavenger July 17, 2016 at 1:16 pm

      Stupid auto correct lol:

      it’s and not “nad”

      • Bob July 17, 2016 at 2:44 pm

        LOL, u failed at the proofreader job. ur fired 😉

        • ladybugavenger July 18, 2016 at 8:00 am

          Right. That was a bad

          • ladybugavenger July 18, 2016 at 11:04 am

            And the article still uses the “nad”

        • .... July 18, 2016 at 8:45 am

          Wow you mean Bob isn’t going to blame the Mormons for the proofreader error ? .

  • Real Life July 17, 2016 at 1:47 pm

    #BlackCrimesMatter ?

  • Bob July 17, 2016 at 2:42 pm

    couldn’t be black on white hate crime, could it? ZOG media says blacks can’t be racists because they’re an “oppressed minority”. ZOG media wouldn’t lie would they? remeber what obama says,,, #blackterroristsmatter…

  • ladybugavenger July 17, 2016 at 3:27 pm

    Police officers have never been paid enough to risk their lives daily. (Ex: In LACounty a librarian makes more than a police officer) This lawlessness going on in this country is becoming more blatant. Guns are not the problem-murderous, jealous hearts are the problem.
    #getrightwithJesus
    #waitingforJesustocomeback
    #turntoJesus
    #John 3:16

  • Don Bagley July 17, 2016 at 4:22 pm

    Another tragedy. It’s too bad that so many cling to their hate and kill over it.

  • Bob July 17, 2016 at 8:19 pm

    if mods want to ax that comment above i get it. although 100% true, it is “inflammatory” in nature given the current tensions.

  • mesaman July 17, 2016 at 8:41 pm

    The racial war moves one step closer.

  • Brian July 17, 2016 at 10:20 pm

    No surprise that this killer was a member of the Nation of Islam. You can see one of their leaders calling for white genocide here (starting at about 7:20):
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=400&v=ztSzoh8N6es

    His idea of mercy is to give the whites 24 hours to leave, then calls for the killing of the men, women, children, babies, crippled, gay, lesbian, etc.

    The shooter in Dallas had also been listening to and researching the Nation of Islam and louis farrakhan. The Nation of Islam and New Black Panthers routinely call for violence and talk openly about killing all the “cracker babies” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y3Cd9gnvlw).

    Here’s an idea: declare them both terrorist organizations, because that’s exactly what they are.

    The black homicide rate has almost nothing to do with skin color, or white cops, or even guns, and almost everything to do with culture and parenting:
    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-07-17/not-white-problem

    Liberals love to try and make this about guns, and cite how America has one of the worst rates of death by gun in the world, but if you remove a handful of predominantly black, liberally run cities (Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, etc) our numbers are actually very good, especially considering how many guns we have per-capita.

    Guns aren’t the problem:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pELwCqz2JfE

    • Bob July 18, 2016 at 1:14 pm

      i have a feeling all this (media encouraged) violence happening lately is building up to one massive campaign for a gov’t gun grab. When Hitlery gets into the white house u know she’s gonna try for it big time. And these blacks will blame anyone but themselves when police are forced to shoot. They need to take very deep look at their own ingrained ‘thug culture’ before they go blaming everyone else. Many of these black men that have been killed by police and spotlighted in the media as absolute victims of a ‘racist police’ have criminal records a mile long. #thuglife #blacklivesmatterbutonlywhenkilledbywhitepeople

      • ladybugavenger July 18, 2016 at 5:03 pm

        That’s blasphemy saying hitlery will get into the White House. Where’s the hope Bob? You’re making me sad ?

  • Real Life July 17, 2016 at 11:22 pm

    What these people don’t realize is the next step. And that next step is martial law. And when it comes into effect to the cities they live in, there will be no more protests. There will be no more blocking interstates. There will be only misery. They will be shot down in scores, and they will suffer more than they have ever known in this lifetime. This is closer to reality than most think.

    • .... July 18, 2016 at 8:32 am

      The next step should be you getting your meds updated !

      • Real Life July 18, 2016 at 11:41 am

        We all know who the rambling pill junkie is here. Keep trying to be relevant Dumpster, it’s quite humorous.

    • RealMcCoy July 18, 2016 at 10:42 am

      The next step is the #whitelivesmatter crowd throwing off the #whiteshame and finally fighting back. The BLM movement is by all definitions a terrorist organization. I don’t care what the ‘politically correct’ crowd wants to call it; it is a hate group, and it gets more militant everyday.
      Martial law will only be enacted AFTER the #AllLivesMatter/#BlueLivesMatter/#FedUpWithAngryMinorities crowd gets active and starts taking care of business before it becomes a daily occurance.
      Thank God we live in an area that doesn’t have enough diversity to host a BLM protest.
      Call me whatever you want for saying that, but all the sane people are thinking it too.

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