In the July newsletter, I said that the murders in April of four law enforcement officers (LEOs) in North Carolina was the fifth incident in America’s 248 years where four or more officers died in a single event. I was wrong; it was the sixth event; I missed one.
On the morning of July 17, 2016, Gavin Eugene Long drove north on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge, LA to kill police officers. Long associated himself with organizations linked to black separatism and the sovereign citizen movement (a belief that citizens are not under the jurisdiction of the federal government and are therefore exempt from U.S. law). Long spotted a patrol vehicle at a convenience store; he parked his car and prepared to shoot the officer with a rifle. However, the vehicle was unoccupied and Long returned to his car. He continued north and saw a second police vehicle. The officer, unaware he was being hunted, departed before Long was close enough to shoot.
At 8:40 am, dispatch received a call for a suspicious man carrying a rifle near the Hammond Aire Plaza shopping center. Louisiana, as do many states, has open carry laws, and although unusual (and certainly not a good idea), it is not illegal to walk around with a rifle in public. Officers were dispatched to question Long and determine if he was a public threat. The officers found Long dressed in a coat and wearing a face mask (this was before COVID). Wearing a coat and mask in the mid-July Louisiana heat is enough to cause concern for anyone, add to that carrying a rifle, and further investigation is a no-brainer. Law enforcement officers are sworn to check out suspicious behavior. They did their job.
Moments after officers arrived shots were fired.
Two officers were hit, one fatally. A third officer arrived and tried to help the wounded officer. Long shot and killed the third officer and then shot the wounded officer twice more, also killing him. Within a few seconds of their arrival, three officers were fatally wounded. Long continued to engage officers and shot three additional LEOs before he was shot and killed by a SWAT sniper at 8:48 am. Long had been armed with a semi-automatic rifle and pistol. A second semi-automatic rifle was recovered from his car.
Deputy Bradford Garafola, 45, of the East Baton Rouge Parish (EBRP) Sherriff’s Office, Officer Matthew Gerald, 41 and Corporal Montrell Jackson, 32, both of the Baton Rouge Police Department were fatally wounded on July 17th. Corporal Nick Tullier (pictured above) of the EBRP Sherriff’s Office was shot and succumbed to his injuries almost six years later, on May 5th, 2022. The other two officers who were shot did not sustain life-threatening wounds and have fully recovered.
Law enforcement officers are commonly known as “first responders” because they are the first ones called and the first to respond to reports of suspicious people. Officers also have rules they must obey before using deadly force. Many times, LEOs don’t have the information needed to respond fast enough to stop a threat. When that happens, people, including officers, may be hurt. Sometimes people, including officers, die.
It’s not laxed gun laws. It’s not mental illness. It’s not poor tactics. It’s evil in the heart of humanity. While some things might be contributing factors, Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder…” (Mark 7:21, ESV). When humans rebel against legitimate governmental authority, they are rebelling against God, and they will be held to account. “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (Romans13:1-2, ESV).
On the Road
My mother, Lucille Rupp, passed away last month and we traveled to Texas for the funeral. We were blessed to have several family members make the trip. It was a wonderful service that honored my mom and God. Unfortunately, we were not able to help with the military retreat at Protector’s Peak. Nate Harder of Protector’s Peak said they had enough volunteers to cover for Sherry and me.
We’re off on a long road trip that will take us to events in Minnesota, Iowa, and Tennessee. Our first stop is Hope Community Church in Cottage Grove, MN where the church will host a “Winning a Gunfight” seminar for local officers and chaplains. Cottage Grove is a bedroom community of Minneapolis where tensions continue between some groups and the police. Out next stop is at Hope Church in Spencer, IA where we’ll present the SBLF, and the church will host a “Winning a Gunfight” seminar for local officers. Finally, it’s off to Chattanooga, TN for a networking conference for organizations that serve first responders. The event is hosted by Jeremy and Ketryna Wade of Mission First Alliance. This will afford us the opportunity to share the SBLF’s mission and network with other like-minded organizations.
Pray for your police.
