SHOOTING IN BATON ROUGE: WHAT WE KNOW:
*Three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers are dead, three more are injured.
The single shooter has been identified as Gavin Long of Kansas City, Missouri. Originally, police believed there might be three shooters. But, as in Dallas, it was a single gunman. Long, 29, who was wearing body armor and carrying a rifle, killed three officers and wounded three others before he was shot and killed by police.
*Shooting took place at approximately 8:30 a.m. Sunday, at a B-Quick convenience store in Baton Rouge, LA, near police headquarters.
*Two of the dead are Baton Rouge police officers, one is an East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputy
*The names of the three officers killed are reported to be Montrell Jackson, Matthew Gerald and Brad Garafola.
The death of Jackson, who is black, was confirmed by his aunt earlier. “Today is not going too well,” she said.
*The incident comes less than two weeks after the shooting death of Alton Sterling by Baton Rouge police officers on July 5, sparking both local and national protests.
*On July 13, Alton Sterling’s 15-year old son pleaded for peace, begging the public to come together “as one united family,” with “no violence whatsoever.
*Sterling was buried on Friday, with no protests.
THREE GOOD MEN
Officer Montreal Jackson had been working long hours during the protests after Alton Sterling’s death. After one of his shifts, he expressed some of his feelings on Facebook.
“I’ve experienced so much in my short life and the past 3 days have tested me to the core,” he wrote. “I swear to God I love this city but I wonder if this city loves me. In uniform I get nasty hateful looks and out of uniform some consider me a threat.”
Jackson, who was on the force for a decade, was married with a four-month-old baby boy, still wrote with hope.
“Please don’t let hate infect your heart. This city MUST and WILL get better. I’m working in these streets so any protesters, officers, friends, family, or whoever, if you see me and need a hug or want to say a prayer I got you.”
According to the Advocate Deputy Brad Garafola, 45,of the Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s department, was “working extra duty” at the B-Quik convenience store, his last shift before a vacation. His shift ended at 8 a.m., and his wife went to meet him. But she “ran into a sea of police cars.” Like the other two, Garafola leaves kids to whom he was devoted, a 21-year-old son who lives in Texas, a 15-year-old daughter, 12-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter.
Matthew Gerald, was former Marine who had joined the Baton Rouge PD a year ago. He is survived by a wife, a special ed teacher, and two children. Gerald was a former Black Hawk Crew Chief during his time in the Marines.
Of the three officers injured, one remains critical as of this writing.
So here we go again. I’m calling on all Law Enforcement to roll up your patrol car windows, and turn on your blinders. You are a fool to do proactive police work. Our unions should be outraged, our families should be outraged, and our communities should be outraged. We as Law Enforcement should be outraged too. Mr. President your rhetoric has led to violence against us. So now is the time to SHUT IT DOWN! LASO and LAPD no more Ob’s arrests. You seasoned Deputies and Police Officers, need to come together and stop doing the lords work. Handle your calls, handle your cases, but THAT’s all. Let the ghetto explode, and sit back and watch from the comfort of a lazyboy chair at your local fire station. All you so called gunslingers who are going to respond by trying to justify being proactive, shut the “F” up. Lets shut it down, until the election, and hope to GOD Mr. Trump wins. He’s a good man, and supports law enforcement, unlike this current administration or that hypocrite Hillary. But until then, find a nice shade tree, perhaps a secluded parking lot or the fire station. Protect one another, and protect YOUR families.
I cannot believe we are at this place in time. Law enforcement officers responding to emergent calls, routine calls, or just happen to be standing there, assassinated by the scum of the earth. Mr and Mrs John Q citizen, is this what you want. The media has jumped on the band wagon that law enforcement is out there to kill young black people, really. Without any facts, law enforcement has been wrong in what they do. Now it has become open season on cops. Here is my suggestion, don’t call the police when you have a problem. Any police office who is trying to survive his career who should be very careful how he or she responds to calls. Proactive police work, thing of the past. All of you future victims, sorry, you help contribute to this attitude. Let all the crooks go, send state prisoners to county jails, leagalize drugs, no jail time for crimes. Shit, why even have a police force. All we really need to do is document the crime for the insurance company. I truly can’t believe after 30 years this is how I will leave law enforcement. I really feel for the young men and women who will have to tread lightly through this period in history. Take care of each other, you are all you have to make sure you see your family the follow day. Nobody else seems to support you.
I’m sickened by the senseless killings of law enforcement officers. Please watch each others backs, beware of self-serving politicians (including brass), and do everything in your power to go home to your families!!!! God Bless the Heroes who do the Lord’s work each day!!
I am sick of senseless killings …period!!!!
As one who was trained to be a pro-active cop…..windows down, getting out of the car….taking criminals (didn’t matter what color) to jail, serving the public well, I never thought I would change my outlook until the day I died. If was supervising today, in good conscience I would not exhort my deputies to be pro-active and do “the Lord’s work.” I would advise them to do the best job they PERSONALLY could to protect the public they serve and get home safe every night. A cop driving around with their windows up would not piss me off anymore. News accounts about more murdered cops does…..no matter what color the murderer was.
Unfortunately the citizens of this country, including myself, will suffer for it.
Everybody stay safe.