New York Daily News
Apr 26, 2020 7:02 PM
Baton Rouge Police Department officers gather at the site of a shooting in Baton Rouge, La., Sunday, April 26.(STAFF PHOTO BY TRAVIS SPRADLING/AP)
A Baton Rouge, Louisiana police officer is dead and another fighting for his life in a hospital after a man wanted in an alleged domestic homicide opened fire on responding cops.
Police responded to a call at about 12:30 p.m. Sunday, spokesperson Sgt. L’Jean McKneely Jr. told The Advocate. After shooting the cops, the gunman held police off for four hours before being arrested, reported WBRZ-TV, which identified the alleged shooter as Ronnie Cato, 36.
An officer salutes a motorcycle escort and a coroner’s van carrying the body of a Baton Rouge police officer who was fatally shot, Sunday afternoon, April 26, in Baton Rouge, La. (John Ballance/AP)
The officers were taken to a hospital, where their colleagues gathered to await news, The Advocate reported.
As about 40 cops gathered on the second floor of the hospital awaiting updates, the suspect was barricaded inside the house where the shooting had happened, WAFB-TV reported.
Baton Route Police Chief Murphy Paul, center holding sheet of paper, walks along a street in Baton Rouge, La., Sunday, April 26. (STAFF PHOTO BY TRAVIS SPRADLING/AP)
Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy J. Paul Jr. did not identify the victims but said Sunday evening that the deceased officer was a 21-year police veteran and a gravely injured officer who had been with the force for seven years was “fighting for his life,” WBRZ reported.
A source close to the investigation told The Advocate that the shooter was wanted in a domestic homicide that had happened at 9:20 a.m. about 5.5 miles from where the officers were shot. The victim was a man who was pronounced dead at the scene, and was a relative of the alleged shooter, according to WAFB.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
