Three police officers were shot and injured by a gunman after responding to a shooting outside a home in Kenner, La., on Sunday, CNN reports. The suspect, Matthew Lathers, 31, was fatally shot by a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office sniper, said Sheriff Joseph Lopinto. Around 9:45 a.m., Kenner police were called after two people were sho. Kenner Police Capt. Michael Cunningham said the victims had been sitting in a vehicle. “We believed they were either going to or coming from church, they just happened to stop there in front of that residence and that’s when they were shot,” Cunningham said. The two victims showed responding officers the home where the gunfire came from. Detectives recognized the address as belonging to a family member of Lathers; Lathers had an outstanding warrant for an attempted murder and armed robbery earlier in the week.
Police obtained a search warrant and a SWAT team arrived to execute the warrant. When the team entered the home, they “immediately began receiving fire,” authorities said. “At least one SWAT member returned fire. Three officers were shot, and it is unknown ... if Lathers was struck during that initial contact.” Kenner police asked for help from the sheriff’s office. When deputies arrived, the suspect began shooting at the deputies' armored vehicle. “Multiple attempts were made to contact Lathers to open negotiations, but all efforts were unsuccessful,” said a police statement. A sniper was able to shoot Lathers, who was fatally wounded. Two of the Kenner police officers who were wounded have been released from the hospital, and the other is in stable condition. The two innocent bystanders who were shot were in stable condition.
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