Three Louisiana police officers were shot during a standoff Sunday that resulted in a fatal shooting of the suspect.
Matthew Lathers, 31, was suspected in two shootings before Kenner Police Department officers gathered outside the residence of Lathers’s relative on Sunday. Earlier that day, there were two victims shot outside that same residence, which helped officers identify it later. Lathers already had an outstanding warrant for a Tuesday shooting and robbery that left a 56-year-old man in critical condition.
Officers were shot at soon after they arrived. They returned fire, but three officers were taken away in an ambulance to receive medical treatment. Two were released later Sunday. The third officer remains in stable condition with a wound on his side.
SWAT officers from KPD and the neighboring Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office were at the scene of the standoff.
“Within minutes, Lathers began shooting at a JPSO armored vehicle in which deputies were stationed. Multiple attempts were made to contact Lathers to open negotiations, but all efforts were unsuccessful,” JPSO Captain Jason Rivarde told the Washington Examiner.
“After earlier firing at the armored vehicle, Lathers returned to a position from whifch he could again fire on the vehicle. A JPSO sniper was able to fire at Lathers, who was fatally wounded. Lathers was pronounced dead on the scene,” he added.
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Officers had intended to charge Lathers with attempted murder and armed robbery.
Jefferson Parish reported ten murders all last year, and four during the first quarter of this year. Robberies are already on the rise, as the first quarter saw 56 reported while all of 2023 reported 53.
