Details are emerging about the suspect who allegedly shot and killed three police officers and wounded three others on Sunday morning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Here’s everything that’s known thus far about that suspect.
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Multiple reports have identified the shooter as Gavin Eugene Long of Kansas City. Long turned 29 years old on the day of the shooting. He was killed in a shootout with police.
The Associated Press identifies Long as an African American male and former Marine sergeant, who served in Iraq and had no known ties to any extremist groups.
After his service in the Marines, he reportedly attended the University of Alabama in the spring of 2012 for just one semester.
A motive for the shootings is not yet known.
At the time of the shooting, Long was described as wearing “all black” with a mask and carrying a “long gun.” The description of a long gun, along with the rapid succession of gun shots heard on video, leads experts to believe Long was using an assault-style rifle.
Watch footage of the shooting in Baton Rouge in which at least two police officers were killed https://t.co/hurK8Le9ih
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 17, 2016
The Associated Press reports that law enforcement officials have converged on Long's Kansas City home.
Though police officials said that Long was the only person who fired shots at police during Sunday’s incident, they were not ready to say he acted alone. Police have detained two other unidentified suspects in nearby Addis, Louisiana.
Reports earlier on Sunday indicated that shots had been fired at the scene before police arrived, indicating that officers may have been lured into some sort of trap.
Sunday's shooting comes after weeks tumult throughout Baton Rogue. On July 5, Alton Sterling, a black man, was shot to death on camera by white police officers. Sterling's death has sparked multiple protests throughout the city. Last week, three suspects were arrested after stealing guns in a "credible threat" to the lives to police officers in the city. A fourth suspect was sought in connection with the case, and is still at large.
Authorities have not yet linked last week's threat to Sunday's shooting.
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
