Baton Rouge news

• Here's to Alton Sterling and all the brothers like him hustling

  08-07-2016 20:00
  
  Though 37-year-old Alton Sterling joins a depressingly long list of black Americans whose deaths at the hands of police seemed unnecessary, he and 43-year-old Eric Garner are also on a list unto themselves. Like Garner, who was selling loose cigarettes...
  
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• NAACP holds rally for Alton Sterling

  08-07-2016 19:00
  
  BATON ROUGE - National NAACP President Cornell Brooks was called in to help lead the rally for justice after the shooting death of Alton Sterling.Cornell Brooks energized the crowd with talk about stopping police brutality."Let us march on, let us march on until victory is won," Brooks said. Brooks was the feature at the afternoon rally at city hall. About 100-125 people turned out."We are here to lend support, stand behind with these branches who are fighting the problem of ra
  
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• Tragic sniper attack on Dallas police should be blamed on shooter, not Black Lives Matter

  08-07-2016 17:53
  
  I write this from Memphis, Tenn., where the last march led Martin Luther King Jr. led was infiltrated by people who didn't share King's philosophy of nonviolence.  Those infiltrators acted violently and destroyed property and in doing so, they cast...
  
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• FBI warns of safety concerns for public, law enforcement this weekend

  08-07-2016 17:33
  
  BATON ROUGE - The FBI released a strongly-worded warning about threats to peoples' safety Friday evening.In the memo - known as a 'Gold Code' - federal authorities warned Baton Rouge-area and Shreveport-area law enforcement agencies to "threats to law enforcement and potential threats to the safety of the general public." It goes on to report, the FBI New Orleans office has found multiple groups "calling for or planning riots and/or violence against law enforcement in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and
  
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• DHS head: Dallas suspect apparently acted alone

  08-07-2016 16:58
  
  DALLAS - The head of the Department of Homeland Security says 'there appears to have been 1 gunman' in the attack that killed five Dallas police officers and wounded seven others.Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said at a news conference Friday in New York City that the lone suspect, Micah Xavier Johnson, doesn't appear to have had any known "links to or inspiration from any international terrorist organization."Police killed the 25-year-old Johnson with a robot-delivered bomb ea
  
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• Protests underway at BRPD Headquarters

  08-07-2016 15:35
  
  BATON ROUGE - Protest activity related to the officer-involved shooting of Alton Sterling has already begun to be apparent around the city on Friday afternoon. A small contingent of protesters with signs showed up at the intersection of Airline Highway and Goodwood. Baton Rouge Police Department Headquarters are located at 9000 Airline Hwy.Protestors walking around the intersection at Airline and Goodwood.. Police have closed off HQ parking lot. @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/m7hP3da4ik
  
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• Police: Man called 911, ambushed Georgia officer

  08-07-2016 15:30
  
  VALDOSTA - Authorities say a man called 911 in south Georgia to report a break-in, then ambushed and shot the officer who came to investigate. Both men were wounded in the ensuing gunfire, and both are expected to survive.The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says in a news release that 22-year-old Stephen Paul Beck called 911, saying his car was broken into Friday morning. Officer Randall Hancock came to investigate, and police say Beck shot at him as soon as he got out of his car.He was
  
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• Suburban St. Louis officer wounded in shooting

  08-07-2016 15:12
  
  DALLAS - Authorities say a driver shot and wounded a suburban St. Louis police officer during a traffic stop.The shooting happened around 11 a.m. Friday in Ballwin.St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar didn't disclose many details about the confrontation, including the race of the suspect or officer. He is expected to say more about the case later Friday.He told KMOV-TV that the officer took "a hard hit" and was hospitalized, but he declined to elaborate on his condition.Belmar says
  
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• AT&T starts 'Dallas Strong' text donations

  08-07-2016 14:56
  
  DALLAS – With AT&T's headquarters in downtown Dallas, the company has announced that it will be donating $50,000 in the aftermath of an ambush that led to a the deadly shooting of five police officers.AT&T's donation will be to the United Way of Metro Dallas "to direct to the most urgent local needs related to this tragedy," company officials said.Five police officers were killed and seven others were injured during the ambush. Two civilians were injured as well. Hundreds of pe
  
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• Clinton, Trump cancel events after police deaths

  08-07-2016 14:47
  
  DALLAS - Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have put off political events out of respect for five police officers fatally shot during a protest in Dallas.Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has postponed a rally scheduled for Friday in Pennsylvania, but still plans to travel to Philadelphia for a scheduled appearance at the African Methodist Episcopal Convention.Trump has canceled his plans to address Hispanics in Miami on Friday.The presumptive Republican nominee denounced the p
  
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• Obama has flags lowered to honor Dallas victims

  08-07-2016 14:30
  
  DALLAS - President Barack Obama has ordered flags lowered to half-staff to honor the 12 police officers and two civilians who were shot in an attack in Dallas.Obama's proclamation Friday applies to American flags flown at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, military installations and Navy vessels. It extends through sunset Tuesday, July 12.Gov. Greg Abbott ordered Texas flags to be flown at half-staff statewide during the same time period to honor the victims. Five
  
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• Using robot to kill Dallas sniper suspect a 1st

  08-07-2016 14:21
  
  DALLAS - A robotics expert says Dallas police appear to be the first law enforcement agency to use a robot to kill.Peter W. Singer, of the New America Foundation, says the killing of a suspect in Thursday night's fatal shooting of five police officers is the first instance of which he's aware of a robot being used lethally by police.Dallas Police Chief David Brown told reporters that after hours of failed negotiations and in order to not put any officers in harm's way, his department us
  
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• Leaders of Black Lives Matter condemn violence in Dallas

  08-07-2016 14:15
  
  DALLAS - Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement are condemning the slayings of police in Dallas during a protest over fatal police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.Shaun King is a blogger who rose to prominence following the 2014 fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. He says on Twitter that he hates police brutality but doesn't hate police. He says: "This violence is wrong on every level."Center for Media Justice director Malkia Cyril says her "heart
  
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• US unsettled after 3 shootings in 4 days

  08-07-2016 13:59
  
  In the span of four days, the United States has had to come to terms with the deaths of two black men at the hands of police - the first caught on video and the aftermath of the second livestreamed on Facebook - as well as the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since 9/11. The shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas are all in the initial investigation stages. Here's what we know about each:___BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANAWHAT HAPPENED?Alton Sterling, 37, was fatally shot Tuesday during a strug
  
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• 3 shootings in 4 days leave US unsettled

  08-07-2016 13:59
  
  In the span of four days, the United States has had to come to terms with the deaths of two black men at the hands of police - the first caught on video and the aftermath of the second livestreamed on Facebook - as well as the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since 9/11. The shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas are all in the initial investigation stages. Here's what we know about each of them:___BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANAWHAT HAPPENED?Alton Sterling, 37, was fatally shot Tuesday during
  
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• Governor Edwards briefed on Louisiana, Dallas shootings

  08-07-2016 13:56
  
  BATON ROUGE - State and local law enforcement officials have briefed Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on their public safety strategies and concerns in the aftermath of the deadly shootings in Baton Rouge and Dallas.Louisiana State Police Col. Mike Edmonson said Friday's briefing was to review what assets are available to law enforcement and how quickly they can be mobilized in an emergency.Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. said his department has strived to avoid a "military-sty
  
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• Mother of Sterling's son disputes he had a gun

  08-07-2016 13:52
  
  BATON ROUGE - The mother of Alton Sterling's son says she didn't know Sterling to carry a gun and doesn't believe he had one with him the night he was shot to death.Quinyetta McMillon told The Associated Press on Friday: "I do not believe in my heart that there was a gun."Sterling was fatally shot Tuesday during a struggle with two police officers outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Police say he was armed and an eyewitness said police pulled a gun out of his pocket. McMillon
  
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• Authorities: Tennessee Highway gunman motivated by police shootings

  08-07-2016 13:52
  
  BRISTOL - Authorities in Tennessee say a man who opened fire on a highway in Tennessee targeted police officers and others because he was troubled by incidents involving black people and law enforcement officers.The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says in a news release that initial conversations with the suspect, identified as Lakeem Keon Scott revealed he was troubled by incidents across the U.S. The TBI says the suspect is black; the shooting victims are all white.Investigators say Scott ki
  
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• Part of I-10 east to close starting Friday afternoon

  08-07-2016 13:49
  
  BATON ROUGE – Starting Friday afternoon and into the weekend, the east-bound right lane of I-10 between the east side of the Atchafalaya Bridge to the Iberville Parish line will be closed.The closure will be from Friday, July 8 at 6:30 p.m. until Monday, July 11 at 6 a.m.According to DOTD, the interstate will be closed for pavement removal and replacement.DOTD says that heavy delays are expected as a result of the construction work.DOTD suggests the following detour route: Take I-10 ea
  
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• Parents of missing St. Tammany Parish toddler arrested

  08-07-2016 13:35
  
  ELMWOOD - The parents of a missing 2-year-old boy have been arrested after the body of a toddler was found under the Huey P. Long bridge in Jefferson Parish.Media outlets report 21-year-old Gabrielle Whittington and 21-year-old Onterio Thompson were arrested Thursday and charged with unlawful disposal of human remains and obstruction of justice.The Jefferson Parish coroner's office hasn't positively identified the remains, but authorities believe the toddler is the missing 2-year-old son of Whit
  
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• 13 arrested in Backpage.com prostitution sting

  08-07-2016 13:15
  
  ASCENSION PARISH - 13 people were arrested on prostitution charges Thursday night as sheriff’s deputies carried out a Backpage.com sting operation.
  APSO narcotics detectives, Gonzales Police and EBRSO deputies began the undercover operation by contacting several potential prostitutes and arranging meetings with them.Frequently, the services of prostitutes are offered on the website under the guise of escort services. Undercover agents met with the suspects, resulting in eight arrests b
  
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• Impairment suspected in single-vehicle crash that killed Gonzales woman

  08-07-2016 12:01
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE - State Police say impairment is a suspected factor in a crash that killed a Gonzales woman in Ascension Parish overnight.Troopers were on the scene of the single-vehicle wreck just after 3 a.m. Friday on LA 621 east of LA 73. 37-year-old Christine Reaux, of Gonzales, was killed in the crash.Investigators say Reaux was traveling eastbound on LA 621 when she failed to negotiate a right-hand curve and lost control of her vehicle. Her vehicle ran off the left side of the road and hit a
  
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• Impairment suspected in crash that killed Gonzales woman

  08-07-2016 12:01
  
  PRAIRIEVILLE - State Police say impairment is a suspected factor in a crash that killed a Gonzales woman in Ascension Parish overnight.Troopers were on the scene of the single-vehicle wreck just after 3 a.m. Friday on LA 621 east of LA 73. 37-year-old Christine Reaux, of Gonzales, was killed in the crash.Investigators say Reaux was traveling eastbound on LA 621 when she failed to negotiate a right-hand curve and lost control of her vehicle. Her vehicle ran off the left side of the road and hit a
  
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• Man armed with gun is shot, killed by Alabama officer

  08-07-2016 09:49
  
  SELMA, Ala. - Police say a man reportedly armed with a gun during a domestic dispute was shot and killed by officers in Alabama. The State Bureau of Investigation says in a news release that the Selma Police Department was called to a home Thursday night because of the dispute. Further details on the dispute were not immediately provided.The SBI says it is investigating the shooting at the police department's request.A woman was wounded in the domestic dispute and taken to a hospital. The office
  
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• Are Trump's 'Made in USA' hats made in USA?

  08-07-2016 09:37
  
  WASHINGTON - Donald Trump says he won't stand for it if it turns out some of his hats labelled "Made in USA" actually weren't made in the USA.The baseball-style "Make America Great Again" hats are indeed stitched together at a small factory in the Los Angeles area.But in a small sample tested by The Associated Press and an outside expert, at least one did not contain the specific type of American-made fabric the manufacturer insists is always used for the hats.The true origin of the fabric in th
  
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• 'Watch your step': Beachgoers warned of scary-looking fish

  08-07-2016 09:29
  
  VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.- A surfing group is warning beachgoers to watch their step after a scary-looking fish was found lurking in the Virginia Beach sand.Multiple news outlets report the East Coast Surfing Championships wrote on their Facebook page that one of the company's friends came across a northern stargazer fish while walking. The strange-looking fish has a speckled, flattened body and a large head.Although the Chesapeake Bay Program's website says that stargazers tend to live at the bottom
  
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• Trump weighs in on Dallas attack

  08-07-2016 08:44
  
  WASHINGTON - In the shadow of the deadly police attacks in Dallas, Donald Trump is saying "our nation is too divided."Trump says in a statement "we must restore law and order in our country" and "we must restore the confidence of people to be safe and secure in their homes and on the street."Trump also made his first mention of the two black men killed by police this week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota. Their deaths prompted the protest in Dallas interrupted by the s
  
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• US Capitol briefly on lockdown

  08-07-2016 08:30
  
  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Capitol building is no longer on lockdown after reports surfaced that police were searching for a suspect.The announcement that the shelter in place order had been lifted came around 9:45 a.m. EST.The Senate seargant at arms issued a lockdown alert for the building and visitor center, saying police activity has been reported. Capitol office buildings remained open.Capitol police had said they were searching for an individual but offered no details. One officer outside the C
  
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• Jay Z releases song following police shootings of black men

  08-07-2016 08:22
  
  Jay Z has released an emotional new song in response to this week's fatal police shootings of two black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.
  On "spiritual," Jay Z raps, "Got my hands in the air, in despair, don't shoot, I just want to do good."
  In a statement accompanying the song's release, the rapper says he began working on it "a while ago." He says someone encouraged him to release it following the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, but he says he knew Brown's death "wouldn't b
  
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• John Bel Edwards leads huge vigil, pledging changes in law enforcement

  08-07-2016 03:16
  
  The governor called for developing new standards of behavior in how law enforcement interacts with the public.
  
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