An armed man who opened fire on Baton Rouge police officers, killing two of them, has been identified as a policeman.
He was identified as Alexandre D. Vazquez, 40, a five-year veteran of the force who died Saturday at a hospital, authorities said in a statement.
The other officer, whose identity was not immediately released, was shot in the shoulder and is expected to survive, according to authorities.
The officers were patrolling a neighborhood on the city’s west side when Vazquiz opened fire, police said.
“They’re two young men, very well respected, well-liked by their fellow officers, who had just stopped by to help out and provide support,” Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie said in the statement.
Police said the shooting occurred shortly before 2:30 a.m. when officers were responding to a call from an area home.
The officer who died is the second Baton Rouge officer to die this year, and the city has not yet confirmed whether the other officer was among the officers who died.
The city was hit by a series of deadly attacks last year, including a sniper attack on the police station and an ambush on a military convoy that killed nine officers.
President Donald Trump called the attack “un-American,” “a cowardly and unjust attack” and called for an investigation into the shooting.
He said he would ask Congress to take up legislation to provide immunity for police officers who shoot people in the line of duty.
The ambush prompted the creation of a new task force to look into whether the officers were targeted because of their race.
