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Three law enforcement officers killed in Baton Rouge; 3 others injured; shooter ID'd

Suspect dead; 2 'persons of interest' detained
Posted at 11:02 AM, Jul 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-17 18:37:30-04

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- The Latest on the shooting of law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge

A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation says Baton Rouge shooter has been identified as Gavin Long.

5:10 p.m.

Hillary Clinton condemned the attack on law enforcement in Baton Rouge.

In a statement on Sunday afternoon the Democratic presidential nominee said, "There is no justification for violence, for hate, for attacks on men and women who put their lives on the line every day in service of our families and communities."

Clinton said that violence must be rejected to "strengthen our communities."

 4:55 p.m.

 A spokesman for the Louisiana state police says they believe the gunman who killed three officers in Baton Rouge was the only shooter but that officials are unsure whether he had accomplices.

Major Doug Cain said Sunday, "we are not ready to say he acted alone."

Cain says two people had been detained in another town called Addis, which is near Baton Rouge, and called them "persons of interests."

4:20 p.m.

The governor of Louisiana says the attack on law enforcement in Baton Rouge was unjustified.

Gov. John Bell Edwards told media Sunday afternoon that the gunman committed, `'an absolutely unspeakable, heinous attack."

Edward says the hatred has got to stop.

Three officers are confirmed dead in the attack outside a store in Baton Rouge about a mile from police headquarters early Sunday morning. Three others are injured. The gunman was fatally shot.

4:10 p.m.

Police say there is no active shooter in Baton Rouge where three police officers were killed Sunday morning.

Col. Mike Edmonson told media, "We believe that the person who shot and killed our officers that he was the person that was shot and killed at the scene.

3:45 p.m.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, responding to the police shootings Sunday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, says there is no place in the United States for such appalling violence.

In a statement issued Sunday, Lynch says she condemns the shooting deaths of three officers and the wounding of several others "in the strongest possible terms." She also is pledging the full support of the Justice Department as the investigation unfolds.

The attorney general says Agents from the FBI and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are on the scene, and Justice Department will make available victim services and federal funding support, and provide investigative assistance to the fullest extent possible.

Lynch says everyone's hearts and prayers are with the fallen and wounded officers, their families and the entire Baton Rouge community in "this extraordinarily difficult time."
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2:15 p.m.

A witness tellsWAFB-TV that he saw a masked man in black shorts and shirt running from the scene where three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers were shot and killed.

Brady Vancel says the man looked like a pedestrian running with a rifle in his hand, rather than someone trained to move with a rifle.

Vancel says he'd gone to work on a flooring job on a street behind the gas station where authorities say the shooting occurred. He said he heard semi-automatic fire and perhaps a handgun.

He saw a man in a red shirt lying in an empty parking lot and "another gunman running away as more shots were being fired back and forth from several guns."
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1:45 p.m.

Republican Donald Trump is blaming a "lack of leadership" for Sunday's shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Trump says in a statement posted on his Twitter and Facebook pages that "We grieve for the officers killed in Baton Rouge today."

Three officers are dead and three others wounded after the shooting less than one mile from local police headquarters.

Trump is placing the blame on a lack of leadership and is demanding "law and order."

He asks, "How many law enforcement and people have to die because of a lack of leadership in our country? We demand law and order."

The violence comes less than a month after a pair of police shootings prompted the assassination of five police officers in Dallas.
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1:40 p.m.

The nephew of a Baton Rouge man shot and killed last week says he condemns the shooting deaths of three law enforcement officers.

Terrance Carter spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday by telephone from his work. He said the family just wants things to be peaceful and said his uncle, Alton Sterling, would not want this.

Authorities said that three law enforcement officers were shot to death early Sunday. Three others were wounded. One suspect was also shot and killed, and authorities are still searching for two more.

It was not immediately clear why the officers were shot.

Photo Gallery: Police attacked in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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12:15 p.m.

Police in Baton Rouge say a gas station not far from police headquarters is where three law enforcement officers were shot to death early Sunday. One suspect was also shot and killed.

Baton Rouge Police Cpl. L'Jean McKneely Jr. says the shooting took place outside and possibly inside the B-Quik convenience store on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge. He says the suspect's body was found next door, outside of a fitness center.

Three other law enforcement officers were injured. Authorities believe two suspects may still be at large.
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12:45 p.m.

A spokesman for the Louisiana governor says that the governor is at the hospital where police officers were taken following a shooting in Baton Rouge.

Richard Carbo told The Associated Press that Gov. John Bel Edwards was meeting Sunday with officers and their families.

The city is on high alert after three officers were shot and killed Sunday morning. Three others have been wounded in the Louisiana shooting.

A sheriff's spokesman in Baton Rouge said earlier that one suspect is dead and two others are believed to be at large.
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12:20 p.m.

The White House says President Barack Obama has been briefed on the shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has asked to be updated throughout the day as more details become available.

The White House has been in contact with local officials in Baton Rouge and offered any assistance necessary.

Obama spent most of last week focused on trying to reduce tensions and helping build trust between police and the communities they serve.

Obama attended a memorial service for five Dallas police officers last week and also led a nearly four-hour meeting featuring dozens of leaders from police organizations, community activists and elected officials.

He also spoke by telephone to the families of two black men shot in separate incidents in Baton Rouge and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota.
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11:45 a.m.

Police in Louisiana say they are using a specialized robot to check for explosives near the body of a suspect who was shot and killed in Baton Rouge early Sunday.

The suspect is believed to have been involved in the shooting of law enforcement officers in the Louisiana city early Sunday. Three officers are dead and three are hospitalized with injuries. The shooting occurred less than 1 mile from police headquarters.

Baton Rouge Police Cpl. L'Jean Mckneely Jr. says authorities do not have an immediate indication that explosives are present.
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11:25 a.m.

Authorities say three law enforcement officers have been killed and three have been injured in a shooting in Louisiana.

A sheriff's spokesman in Baton Rouge also said that one suspect is dead and two others are believed to be at large.

Spokesman Casey Rayborn Hicks issued a statement asking the public to report anything suspicious in the area to 911. Officers and deputies from the Baton Rouge Police Department and East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office were involved in the Sunday morning shooting that took place less than 1 miles from police headquarters.
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9:55 a.m.

Police in Louisiana say that more than one officer has been shot in Baton Rouge.

The shooting happened early Sunday, less than 1 mile from police headquarters.

Baton Rouge Police Sgt. Don Coppola did not know the extent of the injuries or the precise number of officers injured.

He said that authorities believe the "scene is contained," meaning that a shooter was unlikely on the loose.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.   

BREAKING: At least one officer reportedly shot in Baton Rouge