A Louisiana man shot and wounded three police officers in a lengthy standoff before a police sniper killed him Sunday.
Cops identified the suspect as Matthew Lathers, according to local NBC affiliate WDSU.
Lathers, 31, was wanted in connection with an attempted murder and armed robbery that occurred April 23 in Kenner, about 10 miles west of downtown New Orleans.
Early on Sunday, Lathers also shot and wounded two people outside a residence in Kenner, cops said. A call about that shooting brought police to the house, where Kenner hid inside, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported.
All three civilian victims and all three police officers were expected to recover, authorities said.
Police began searching for Lathers after Tuesday’s armed robbery. Investigators believe he holed up in the Kenner residence all week, according to the Times-Picayune.
Cops said two people inadvertently stopped in front of the home on Sunday morning on their way to church, and Lathers shot them thinking they were police, local CBS affiliate WWL reported.
That led to the arrival of actual police, including three officers who entered the home after a robot was blocked, Kenner police officer Michael Cunningham told the Times-Picayune. Lather shot and wounded the officers, according to police.
Kenner police then called the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office for backup, and a SWAT team arrived, WWL reported. Lathers shot at the SWAT team vehicle and occasionally exchanged fire with police throughout the day, but no other officers were wounded.
“We attempted to negotiate with him numerous times,” Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto told reporters.
The standoff ended when Lathers opened the home’s front door and started shooting, cops told the Times-Picayune. A sniper with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office fatally shot Lathers.
“There was no answer by any means, nor did he try to negotiate with us,” Lopinto said. “It wasn’t until he took the position that he did that they fired upon him.”
With News Wire Services
