In a new gun attack targeting US law enforcement, three police officers were killed and seven others injured on Sunday morning in Baton Rouge, the capital of louisiana where a black man was shot dead by two police officers earlier this month.
In the incident that came 10 days after the Dallas ambush in which five police officers were killed and nine others injured, a spokeswoman of Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said one suspect has been killed with two others believed to be at large.
Baton Rouge has witnessed days of angry protests following the shooting death Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old African-American, by white police officers after a scuffle at a convenience store in the city on July 5.
The killing of Sterling followed by the shooting of another black man, Philando Castile in St. Paul, Minnesota that went viral on the internet after the episode was captured live by his girlfriend on her cellphone has further embittered the uneasy relations between sections of the black population and the police across America.
While details of the Sunday morning shooting were still awaited, The Associated Press reporting from Baton Rouge said three officers were confirmed dead, with three others wounded. The New York Times put the number of injured officers at seven.
The shooting occurred around 9 am local time on Airline Highway at a spot less than a mile from the police headquarters. The identities of the suspect and the deceased as well as injured officers were not immediately known.
“Multiple officers from both agencies (the Sheriff’s Office and the Baton Rouge Police Department) sustained injuries and were transported to local hospitals,” said a statement. A witness, cited by NYT, said he heard “probably 10 to 12 gunshots go off”.
louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called the shooting “an unspeakable and unjustified attack” and said every resource available to the State administration would be used to ensure the perpetrators were swiftly brought to justice.