UPDATE (07/17 | 9:20PM EST): According to Louisiana state police, there is currently no "active shooter" in Baton Rouge, though two other "persons of interest" are being held for questioning, reports CBS News. The primary suspect in the shooting that has killed three police officers and injured three others has been killed. He has been identified as Gavin Eugene Long of Kansas City, Missouri. Today, July 17, was reportedly his 29th birthday.
Military sources report that Long was a member of the Marines who was given an honorable discharge from his position as sergeant (E-5) in 2010. According to law enforcement sources, Long used the pen name and online alias of Cosmo Setepenra. Using the pseudonym, he acted as a radio host, life coach, author, and spiritual advisor, among other roles, reports The Guardian.
President Barack Obama has condemned the shooting, and he has advised the populace to avoid divisive rhetoric and instead "focus on words and actions that can unite this country." Watch footage from his speech below.
Today's attack on Baton Rouge police comes less than two weeks after two of the department's officers, both of whom are currently the subjects of a civil rights investigation by the Department of Justice, shot and killed Alton Sterling, an unarmed 37-year-old black man.
One of the casualties of today's shooting has been revealed to be Montrell J. Jackson, a black officer who has been with the Baton Rouge police force since 2006. A few days after the death of Sterling, Jackson wrote a Facebook post that expressed the anguish he was feeling for his city during such "trying times." He ended the post by writing, "I'm working hard in these streets so any protestors, officers, friends, family, or whoever, if you see me and need a hug or want to say a prayer. I got you."
The names of the other two slain officers are Matthew Gerald and Brad Garafola.
Original text below:
6 officers have reportedly been shot in Baton Rouge in a shooting suspected to be have been carried out by multiple gunmen at 10 AM Eastern time. CNN reports that 3 of the officers have died from their gunshot wounds, while the other three remain in hospital.
One of the suspects is dead, while there may be two others who are still at large, according to authorities.
The city has been experiencing tension between police and protesters following the killing of Alton Sterling last week, but there is no indication that this shooting is linked to that event.
Police are reported to have received a call about a "suspicious person walking down Airline Highway with an assault rifle," this morning, according to a source close to CNN. When police arrived on the scene, shooting began.
Further updates will be provided as details arrive.
