Three Louisiana officers shot in standoff; Suspect killed by SWAT team

3 Louisiana officers in standoff with suspect

Authorities say three Louisiana police officers were wounded by gunfire Sunday in a standoff with a man suspected of shooting three other people in the past week.

KENNER, La. - Three Louisiana police officers were shot during a standoff with a suspect Sunday.

Authorities said the Kenner Police officers were injured, and the suspected gunman was involved in two other shootings from earlier that day.

According to FOX 8, a sniper from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office SWAT team shot and killed the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Matthew Lathers.

Lathers was a suspect in an armed robbery where a 56-year-old victim was shot, and the suspect in the shooting of two men who mistakenly stopped near Lather's home, according to the outlet.

Lathers allegedly thought the two men were officers. That shooting led to a standoff with police after officers surrounded Lather's residence.

It's reported the officer shot Lathers after he appeared with a rifle and shot the three officers. Authorities said two have been treated and released from the hospital while the third remains in stable condition.

"He probably didn’t want to go to jail," Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto told the outlet. "We attempted to negotiate with him numerous times, but there was never any answer or attempt to negotiate with us.

"At another point, he appeared again in the same spot with his rifle. One of our snipers was able to take him out at that time, and he is declared deceased."

This story was reported from Los Angeles.

Crime and Public Safety Louisiana