Ex-Marine sergeant turned lifestyle guru called for black people to 'fight back, through bloodshed' just days before ambushing and murdering three Baton Rouge cops on his 29th birthday
Three police officers are dead while three more are in hospital, one in critical, after a shooting in Baton Rouge
The shooter has been identified as Gavin Eugene Long, a former Marine sergeant turned 'Alpha-preneur' who went under the pseudonym of Cosmo Setepenra and turned 29 on the same day he ambushed the cops
Montrell Jackson, 32, a married man, new father and ten-year veteran of the department, named among the dead
He died alongside Matthew Gerald, 41, a married father-of-two and former Marine who had been on patrol for 12 days
Brad Garafola, 45, a married father-of-four who was finishing his last shift before a family holiday, also died
President Obama branded the shooting 'cowardly and reprehensible' while Donald Trump demanded 'law and order'
Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards called for the 'hatred to stop' at a press conference this afternoon
Shooting of Alton Sterling by police in Baton Rouge 12 days ago sparked outrage and wave of protests across U.S.
Gang of four - including boys aged just 12 and 13 - were arrested earlier this week after alleged plot to steal guns and kill cops in Baton Rouge
DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 14:51 GMT, 17 July 2016 | UPDATED: 01:04 GMT, 18 July 2016
The man who shot three police officers dead and injured three more in Baton Rouge has been named as Gavin Eugene Long, a black man from Kansas City who was 'celebrating' his 29th birthday today, according to reports.
Long is a former Marine who was honorably discharged after achieving the rank of sergeant, before becoming a life coach and self-styled 'Alpha-preneur' under the name of Cosmo Setepenra, CBS News reports.
As well as publishing three self-help books, Long produced a series of podcasts on becoming an 'Alpha Male' in which he advocates violent protest by African Americans, and admits to being a one-time member of black-power group Nation of Islam, though claims he isn't associated with them anymore.
PUBLISHED: 14:51 GMT, 17 July 2016 | UPDATED: 01:04 GMT, 18 July 2016
The man who shot three police officers dead and injured three more in Baton Rouge has been named as Gavin Eugene Long, a black man from Kansas City who was 'celebrating' his 29th birthday today, according to reports.
Long is a former Marine who was honorably discharged after achieving the rank of sergeant, before becoming a life coach and self-styled 'Alpha-preneur' under the name of Cosmo Setepenra, CBS News reports.
As well as publishing three self-help books, Long produced a series of podcasts on becoming an 'Alpha Male' in which he advocates violent protest by African Americans, and admits to being a one-time member of black-power group Nation of Islam, though claims he isn't associated with them anymore.
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Eugene Gavin Long, who turned 29 today, has been identified as the man who shot three police officers dead and wounded three more, one of whom is in critical condition, in Baton Rouge
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Long is a former Marine sergeant turned lifestyle guru who went under the pseudonym of Cosmo Setepenra who uploaded podcasts advising followers on 'how to be an Alpha male' and the importance of 'checking your woman'
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Just hours before launching his attack on police in Baton Rouge, Long uploaded this prophetic message to his Twitter account
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Long published podcasts detailing his views online, including one uploaded from Dallas which he visited at the time of the cop shootings, in which he says: '100 per cent of revolutions have been successful through bloodshed'
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Long was shot dead in Baton Rouge on Sunday morning after ambushing police while wearing a mask and opening fire, killing three cops and wounding another three
Speaking from Dallas, which he visited at the time of the cop shootings, he said: 'One hundred per cent of revolutions, victims fighting their oppressors, victims fighting their bullies, 100 per cent have been successful through fighting back, through bloodshed.
'Zero have been successful by simply protesting. It has never worked and it never will. You've gotta fight back, that's the only way a bully knows to quit. He doesn't understand words.
'If y'all wanna keep protesting but for the real ones, the serious ones, the alpha ones - we know what it's going to take. It's only fighting back or money. That's all they care about. Revenue and blood. Nothing else.
'Don't even think about it. That's why I don't go to protests, because I know I speak well, I'm articulate, I can motivate, I can inspire, and those are the ones they arrest. So I know they'd try to arrest me and I know I would die right there because you're not going to kidnap me.
'Men, this is all for you. I don't wanna see women at rallies and all that. I feel embarrassed by seeing that. Let me know what one of the elders were telling me in Africa.'
Later, in a separate video, he added: 'I wanted to let y'all know, because if anything happened to me - I'm an alpha male, I stand firm and I stand for mine, till the end, till the last day in this flesh.
'Don't affiliate me with nothing. Don't affiliate me with the black business school. Yeah I was also a Nation of Islam member, I'm not affiliated with it. Don't affiliate me with The Money Team.
'I was a Christian, I was in Africa. Don't try and say he was in Africa, don't say he was this and that. They try to put you with ISIS or something like that. No, I'm affiliated with the spirit of justice, nothing else. Nothing more, nothing less. Make sure, there are no affiliations.
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Brad Garafola, 45, a married father-of-four has been named among the dead officers by his wife, who was finishing his last shift before going on holiday with his family when he was shot
'I thought my own thoughts, I made my own decisions, I'm the one who gotta listen to the judgement. And my heart is pure.'
On his website Long claims to have lost 80lbs aged 16 after 'self-educating' about fitness, before spending five years in the Marines 'as one of the Corps most physically fit recruits', completing one tour of Iraq.
While station in California, he says he became 'a highly esteemed and sought after nutritionist and personal trainer' then attended Central Texas College and Clark Atlanta University before dropping out, selling all of his possessions and completing a trip around Africa, which he describes as his 'ancestral homeland'.
The three dead police officers have also been identified as Montrell Jackson, 32, a new father and ten-year veteran of the force, Matthew Gerald, 41, a former Marine who joined the Baton Rouge police force a year ago, and Brad Garafola, 45, a married father-of-four.
Jackson, 32, who welcomed a son less than a year ago, celebrated his ten-year anniversary with the Baton Rouge Police Department just last month and was once injured helping to save a toddler from a burning building, The Advocate reports.
Meanwhile Gerald was a married father-of-two who had been working patrol duty on his own for just 12 days before he was gunned down, according to Fox News 8 New Orleans.
Garofola had just finished an extra shift around 8am and was heading to meet his family before they went on holiday together on Monday when he was shot and killed, wife Tonja said.
She added: 'He loved us so much. He was always bragging about his family .He was a great guy. Not just a great law enforcement, he was a great husband and a great father. He didn’t deserve this. He always helped everybody.'
Shortly before he died, Jackson wrote a Facebook post saying he was 'tired physically and emotionally', adding that 'in uniform I get nasty hateful looks and out of uniform some consider me a threat.'
Referencing the shooting death of Alton Sterling, which started protests in the city two days ago, he said: 'I personally want to send out prayers to everyone directly affected by this tragedy. These are trying time. Please don't let hate infect your heart.
'This city must and will get better. I'm working these streets so any protesters, officers, friends, family, or whoever, if you see me and need a hug or want to send a prayer, I got you.'
Jackson, was praised by friend Darnell Murdock, who said: 'He loved his job. It motivated him to go out and change people's lives. He was on (the force) to help people, to make you have a better day.
'He was humble, kind and sweet. … He wasn't on there to write tickets. I don't understand how this could happen to someone like him.'
Officers are continuing to hunt down two more suspects who were said to be 'on the run', but it looks increasingly likely that the gunman, who was dressed in black and carrying an assault rifle, acted alone.
A robot was used to check the man's body for explosives after he was shot dead outside a B-Quik convenience store on Airline Highway.
The three injured police officers have also not been identified. A 41-year-old is in a critical condition in hospital, while two others - aged 51 and 41 - are stable.
Speaking after the shooting, Gov. John Bel Edwards said: 'It's unjustified, it's unjustifiable, the violence, the hatred just has to stop,' he said.
'It's unspeakable that these men, risking their lives to protect and serve, were taken out in the way they were. 'They are everyday heroes.
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Montrell Jackson, 32, a new father who celebrated his 10-year anniversary with the Baton Rouge Police Department last month, was also among the cops shot dead in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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Matthew Gerald, 41, a married father-of-two who had been working on his own for just 12 days, has also been identified
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Gerald had served in the Marines (left) before joining the Baton Rouge Police Department less than a year ago (right) and had only graduated to patrol duties less than two weeks ago
Violence, hatred 'has to stop': Louisiana Governor
I want tor reassure everyone that we are doing everything humanly possible so that everyone is protected. Everything will be done to bring the shooter, or shooters if there's more than one, to justice.
'An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us and it has to stop,' Gov Edwards added.
'The people who carried this out do not represent the city of Baton Rouge, or the State of Louisiana or this country.
'There simply is no place for more violence, it doesn't help anyone, it doesn't help any injustice perceived or real, it is just another injustice. We are not going to tolerate more hate and violence tearing apart the lives and families of people in Louisiana.'
Baton Rouge Police Cpl. L'Jean McKneely Jr said the shooting took place outside and possibly inside the B-Quik convenience store on Airline Highway. The suspect's body was found next door, outside of a fitness center, he said.
According to the Advocate, an officer made a report over a police radio at around 8.45am saying that a 'lady who came up and said there was a suspect walking with a ... and an assault rifle out here behind the store'.
Two minutes later, another officer was heard shouting: 'Shots fired, officer down, shots fired, officer down!'
Another yelled: 'Got a city officer down, shots fired! Shots fired on Airline! I don’t know where he’s f***ing shooting from.'
Police officers also described the man as wearing a mask and 'carrying an A-R' in the radio messages.
An injured officer is then heard shouting that he has been shot in the left arm, and moments later cops radio in that they have seen a 'second' gunman.
Two of the dead are Baton Rouge police officers, while the third is a sheriff's deputy in East Baton Rouge, an official said.
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Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards made a passionate plea for the 'hatred to stop' following the shooting in Baton Rouge
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President Obama also condemned the attack in Baton Rouge, describing it as 'cowardly' and promising 'there will be justice'
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Officer Markell Morris carries a bouquet of flowers and a Superman action figure to a makeshift memorial for the three officers shot in Baton Rouge set up outside the hospital where they were taken
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Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie is locked in an emotional embrace following the shooting of three officers on Sunday
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Cops were also pictured embracing each other following a press conference at which Dabadie begged for the violence to stop
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Members of the public have been dropping off floral tributes at the Our Lady of the Lake Hospital for a memorial to the officers
A video taken by a bystander at the scene captured the panic as gunshots rang out.
Another showed police officers brandishing rifles as they ran towards the scene.
'All we know at this time is that there was a shooting. We believe there were multiple suspects. one suspect is deceased. Multiple officers were shot. We do have some that were killed,' Baton Rouge Police Corporal L'Jean McKneely said.
He also appealed for help tracking down any remaining suspects. 'If they are wearing army fatigues, if they are wearing all black, if they are wearing a mask, if they are wearing anything that's out there, please, give us a call,' he added.
Two hospitals are on lockdown, with armed police officers guarding all entrances.
People living in nearby homes have been told to stay indoors.
There were also reports of a shooting at the Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge, but these turned out to be false.
President Obama has been briefed on the situation and has offered any assistance needed, the White House said.
In a statement, he said the slain police officers had been 'killed in a cowardly and reprehensible assault'.
Shots ring out as police officers are attacked in Baton Rouge
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Officers were called to reports of a masked man walking along the highway in Baton Rouge with a rifle before the first shots were fired
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On edge: Officers ran from the hospital where the three wounded cops were taken after someone was arrested outside with a gun in their car, though it later turned out to be a false alarm
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Police received a 911 call reporting a 'suspicious person walking down Airline Highway with an assault rifle'. Pictured, police at the scene
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The 9am shooting took place less than a mile from Baton Rouge's police headquarters. Pictured, police on the scene this morning
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A police officer in tactical gear sets up in a parking lot while responding to Sunday morning's shooting of at least six police officers
Police hunt for two suspects after three cops are shot dead
'These are attacks on public servants, on the rule of law, and on civilized society, and they have to stop,' Obama added.
'We may not yet know the motives for this attack, but I want to be clear: there is no justification for violence against law enforcement. None. These attacks are the work of cowards who speak for no one. They right no wrongs. They advance no causes.'
Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump wrote on his Facebook page: 'We grieve for the officers killed in Baton Rouge today.
'How many law enforcement and people have to die because of a lack of leadership in our country? We demand law and order.'
Meanwhile presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton added: ‘Today’s devastating assault on police officers in Baton Rouge is an assault on all of us. 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.’
‘We must not turn our backs on each other. We must not be indifferent to each other. We must all stand together to reject violence and strengthen our communities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and families of the police officers who were killed and injured today.’
'THESE ATTACKS ARE THE WORKS OF COWARDS': OBAMA'S STATEMENT
'I condemn, in the strongest sense of the word, the attack on law enforcement in Baton Rouge. For the second time in two weeks, police officers who put their lives on the line for ours every day were doing their job when they were killed in a cowardly and reprehensible assault. These are attacks on public servants, on the rule of law, and on civilized society, and they have to stop.
'I’ve offered my full support, and the full support of the federal government, to Governor Edwards, Mayor Holden, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Baton Rouge Police Department. And make no mistake – justice will be done.
'We may not yet know the motives for this attack, but I want to be clear: there is no justification for violence against law enforcement. None. These attacks are the work of cowards who speak for no one. They right no wrongs. They advance no causes. The officers in Baton Rouge; the officers in Dallas – they were our fellow Americans, part of our community, part of our country, with people who loved and needed them, and who need us now – all of us – to be at our best.
'Today, on the Lord’s day, all of us stand united in prayer with the people of Baton Rouge, with the police officers who’ve been wounded, and with the grieving families of the fallen. May God bless them all.'
Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump demanded 'law and order' following the shooting as he criticized the 'lack of leadership'
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Three officers have been confirmed dead and three more have been injured, with one in a critical condition. Pictured, police at the scene in Baton Rouge
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Crime scene: The busy interstate has been completely blocked off in both directions as police continue to investigate the shooting
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Two of the dead are Baton Rouge police officers, while the third is a sheriff's deputy in East Baton Rouge, an official said. Police are pictured blocking off the road
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On guard: A suspect has been shot dead and police say two others may be at large following what appears to have been an ambush
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said: ‘This is an unspeakable and unjustified attack on all of us at a time when we need unity and healing.
‘Rest assured, every resource available to the State of Louisiana will be used to ensure the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice.
‘For now, I’m asking all Louisianans to join Donna and me in praying for the officers who were involved and their families as the details continue to unfold.’
A spokesman for the governor said that he is at the hospital where the wounded police officers were taken after the shooting and is meeting with the officers and their families.
Police in Baton Rouge were on high alert earlier this week after a gang - including boys aged just 12 and 13 - were arrested as they tried to steal handguns as part of a 'substantial, credible threat' to harm police officers in Baton Rouge.
Authorities discovered the alleged plot while responding to a burglary at a pawn shop early on June 9.
They arrested one suspect - Antonio Thomas, 17 - at the scene with a handgun and a BB gun.
During questioning, Thomas said that he and three other suspects stole the firearms and 'were going to get bullets to shoot police,' authorities said.
On Tuesday, the chief also confirmed that Thomas told police that 'the reason the burglary was being done was to harm police officers'.
Malik Bridgewater, 20, was also arrested, as were two boys aged 12 and 13. The two named suspects are black.
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On high alert: Two hospitals are on lockdown, with police officers checking arrivals at all entrances. Four cops are being treated for gunshot wounds
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Baton Rouge police officers with assault rifles block Airline Highway after three officers were killed in a horrific mass shooting
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Blockade: Baton Rouge police block Airline Highway after police officers were shot on Sunday morning - 12 days on from the killing of Alton Sterling
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Black street seller Alton Sterling was shot by two white police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 12 days before Sunday's shooting
The shooting comes 12 days after Sterling was shot dead outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge by two police officers.
Sterling was armed but his handgun was in his pocket and the footage does not appear to show him reaching for it.
His shooting on July 5 - and that of Philando Castile in St Paul, Minnesota, the next day - led to nationwide protests over the treatment of black people by the police.
Over the weekend, thousands of people took to the streets in Baton Rouge to condemn Sterling's death, including hundreds of demonstrators who congregated outside the police station.
Authorities arrested about 200 people over the three-day weekend.
A peaceful Black Lives Matter protest days after Sterling's was hijacked by Micah Johnson, who used the demonstration as an opportunity to ambush police, killing five.
Dallas police chief David Brown led the messages of support to police in Baton Rouge following the shooting.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with Baton Rouge Police,’ Brown said.
Reverend Al Sharpton added: ‘Praying for the families of the police officers shot in Baton Rouge as we await the full details.
‘This senseless violence really must stop.'
Speaking after Sunday's shooting, Veda Sterling, Alton Sterling's aunt, told local television news 'things will now get 100 times worse'.
'We want to offer our condolences to the officers' families because we know first-hand what they are going through. We just went through this,' she said.
'We also want it to be known that this is not in retaliation due to Alton's death. There was no protesting going on there on where this took place.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3694441/Masked-gunman-shoots-multiple-cops-Baton-Rouge-two-weeks-video-officers-killing-Alton-Sterling-dead-provoked-outrage.html#ixzz4EieJv6uS
