Misplaced Pages

#693306

125-605: On July 17, 2016, Gavin Eugene Long shot six police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in an ambush attack, in the wake of the shooting of Alton Sterling . Four died, including one who was critically wounded and died from complications in 2022, and two others were hospitalized; of the officers who initially died, two were members of the Baton Rouge Police Department , while the third worked for

250-634: A robot to check Long's body for explosives. A preliminary investigation determined that Long was targeting officers and ignoring civilians. A preliminary autopsy indicated that in addition to being shot by the SWAT officer, Long suffered multiple other gunshot wounds. Police recovered from the crime scene an IWI Tavor SAR 5.56x45-caliber semi-automatic rifle and a Springfield Armory XD 9mm pistol. A third weapon—a Stag Arms M4-type 5.56-caliber semi-automatic rifle —was recovered from Long's rental Malibu. Officials believed Long had intentions of attacking

375-620: A "disgruntled, paranoid loner" (a common type of mass killer), with a narcissistic and grandiose personality. Social media posts indicated that he was an active member of the anti-government New Freedom Group. According to CNN , a card was found on Long's body, suggesting that he was a member of the Washitaw Nation , a group of African Americans associated with the sovereign citizen movement that originated in Richwood . In addition to changing his legal name, he claimed his nationality

500-689: A 2019 study by Sperling's BestPlaces , other notable Christian bodies in the area include Anglicans or Episcopalians , Pentecostals , Presbyterians , Latter-Day Saints , and Lutherans . Christians including Jehovah's Witnesses , the Metropolitan Community Church , Christian Unitarians , and the Eastern Orthodox among others collectively made up 14% of the Sperling's study other Christian demographic. Notable Anglican or Episcopalian jurisdictions operating throughout

625-602: A 2020 study by the Association of Religion Data Archives , Christianity is the most-practiced religion for the Baton Rouge area, being influenced by Catholicism and Protestantism . In 2020, ARDA reported there were 61 congregations and 174,410 Catholics within the metropolitan area. The Catholic population is primarily served by the Latin Church 's Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge —a suffragan diocese of

750-472: A basic gas-actuated self-loading infantry rifle and carbine that would eject the spent cartridge and reload a new round using a gas-operated system. Designing a rifle that was practical in terms of effectiveness, reliability, and production was difficult, and it took fifteen years to perfect the M1 prototype model to meet all the U.S. Army specifications. The resulting Semi-Automatic, Caliber .30, M1 Rifle

875-543: A basis for several future weapons, such as Browning machine guns ( M1917 , M1919, and M2 ). Mannlicher produced smokeless powder versions of his guns, beginning in the early 1890s, until his death in 1904, . In 1903 and 1905, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company introduced the first low power blowback (shell operated) semi-automatic rimfire and centerfire rifles. The Winchester Model 1903 and Winchester Model 1905 operated on

1000-513: A black man killed by Baton Rouge police officers on July 5, in online videos. Long operated his YouTube channel under his new legal name, Cosmo Setepenra, making references to oppression against blacks and police protests. At one point less than two weeks before committing the shooting, Long called the shootings of five Dallas police officers an act of "justice". In one video, he said, "One hundred percent of revolutions... have been successful through fighting back through bloodshed." In another, he said

1125-542: A bluff above the Mississippi". In the 1950s and 1960s, the petrochemical industry boomed in Baton Rouge, stimulating the city's expansion beyond its original center. The changing market in the oil business has produced fluctuations in the industry, affecting employment in the city and area. In 1953, there was a bus boycott by black riders who were forbidden to occupy seats reserved for whites, leading eventually to some improvement of their rights. On January 10, 1972,

1250-594: A capitol in Neo-Gothic style, complete with turrets and crenellations, and stained glass; it overlooks the Mississippi. It has been described as the "most distinguished example of Gothic Revival" architecture in the state and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark . By the outbreak of the American Civil War , the population of Baton Rouge was nearly 5,500. The war nearly halted economic progress, except for businesses associated with supplying

1375-616: A distinct culture for centuries. From 1763 to 1783, Baton Rouge was part of the British North American colony of West Florida , though it was captured by Spanish forces in in September 1779 . During the first half of the 19th century, Baton Rouge grew steadily as the result of steamboat trade and transportation. Baton Rouge was incorporated in 1817. In 1822, the Pentagon Barracks complex of buildings

SECTION 10

#1732798654694

1500-631: A favorable reception among troops. However, its shortened and improved version, the Model 1918, was used more during the Moroccan Rif War from 1920 to 1926. Still, the bolt-action Lebel Model 1886 rifle remained the standard French infantry rifle until being replaced in 1936 by the MAS-36 , another bolt action, despite the various semi-automatic rifles designed between 1918 and 1935. Other nations experimented with self-loading rifles during

1625-587: A federal lawsuit against several leaders of Black Lives Matter for inciting violence. The lawsuit was later dismissed. Following nearly six years of treatment, shooting victim Cpl. Nicholas Tullier died on May 5, 2022, from complications due to injuries sustained during the shooting. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( / ˌ b æ t ən ˈ r uː ʒ / BAT -ən ROOZH ; French : Baton Rouge or Bâton-Rouge , pronounced [bɑtɔ̃ ʁuʒ] ; Louisiana Creole : Batonrouj )

1750-608: A functional prototype, which was later designated the M1888 Forsøgsrekylgevær . This rifle underwent testing by the Danish military, but it was ultimately rejected for military adoption. Following the unsuccessful trials, the inventors developed a new design, known as the M1896 Flaadens Rekylgevær . This model was also tested by the Danish military, and this time it was found to be reliable. As

1875-474: A large plant in Iberville Parish near Plaquemine , 17 miles (27 km) south of Baton Rouge. Shaw Construction , Turner, and Harmony all started with performing construction work at these plants. In addition to being the state capital and parish seat, the city is the home of Louisiana State University , which employs over 5,000 academic staff. One of the largest single employers in Baton Rouge

2000-666: A large volume of fire was deemed more important – during World War II , American ground forces fired approximately 25,000 rounds for each enemy killed. In the Korean War , this number raised to 50,000, and in the Vietnam War it became 200,000 rounds per enemy. The first fully automatic rifle to see widespread usage was the German StG 44 , which was reportedly well-liked by troops, as the 30-round selective fire rifle gave them much more flexibility than their service rifle ,

2125-546: A member of a group dedicated to helping " Targeted Individuals " suffering from "remote brain experimentation, remote neural monitoring of an entire humans body." He asked to be put on the group's "buddy list", but he unexpectedly deactivated his account a month later. His mother said he once believed the Central Intelligence Agency was following him. He appeared as a guest on an online show discussing "Targeted Individuals", but downplayed his belief that he

2250-639: A military and trading post. Since then, Baton Rouge has been governed by France, Britain, Spain, Louisiana, the Republic of West Florida , the United States, the Confederate States , and the United States again. In 1755, when French settlers in the colony of Acadia (known as Acadians ) were deported from there by British authorities, many took up residence in rural Louisiana, including Baton Rouge. Popularly known as Cajuns they maintained

2375-534: A multicultural region practicing many religious traditions from Catholicism to Protestantism and Louisiana Voodoo . Baton Rouge is a major, growing industrial, petrochemical , medical, research, motion picture, and technology center of the American South . It is the location of Louisiana State University —the LSU system 's flagship university and the state's largest institution of higher education. It

2500-441: A nephew of Long, told The Los Angeles Times that his uncle would teach him about the importance of self-reliance, share his views on racism, and assert that "only advanced survival skills and decisive action" could overthrow the U.S. government. Taylor said that Long recently began sharing his beliefs that international corporations, federal banks, and political organizations were influencing ethnic groups for their own gain; and that

2625-470: A presence in the area. The Muslim population has grown out of Middle Eastern immigration and African American Muslim missionary work. The first Islamic private school in Baton Rouge was established in 2019. In 2019, Orthodox Jews made up 0.2% of Baton Rouge's religious population. 0.6% of the population identified with eastern faiths. including Buddhism and Hinduism . New religious movements including contemporary paganism have small communities in

SECTION 20

#1732798654694

2750-484: A reevaluation of the state's open carry law. However, previous attempts at altering state gun laws have resulted in failure due to an amendment to the Louisiana State Constitution in 2012, which gave strong gun ownership protection laws and required limitations of any kind to be faced with strict scrutiny . State Senator Jean-Paul Morrell remarked that gun control bills filed every year in

2875-461: A result of suburbanization in 2019, to an estimated 854,884. In 2020, the metropolitan statistical area's population increased to 870,569 residents, reflecting southern Louisiana's population growth in contrast with northern Louisiana's stagnation and decline. In 2019, the city of Baton Rouge had a population density of 2,982.5 people per square mile. With the population growth of European and African-descended peoples in present-day Baton Rouge,

3000-509: A result, 60 units were procured for the Danish Navy, making it one of the earliest semi-automatic rifles to be officially adopted by a military force. In the final years of the 19th century and early 20th century, experiments and patents with gas-operated reloading were developed by Hiram Maxim and Richard Paulson as well a gas-operated conversion system from an American inventor named Henry Pitcher. Other designs also developed, such as

3125-408: A rifle near the plaza. However, due to Louisiana's open carry law at the time, the potential threat of Long was downplayed, with one dispatcher describing him as a "subject walking with a coat and an assault rifle." Authorities were going to question him and had no probable cause to take him into custody. When officers arrived at the scene, they found Long clad in black and wearing a face mask behind

3250-487: A self-loading mechanism makes self-loading rifles more expensive to manufacture and heavier than manually loaded rifles. The semi-automatic M1 Garand weighs about 410 grams (0.9 lb) more (around seven percent) than the manually loaded M1903 Springfield it replaced. American development of a self-loading infantry rifle began with the .276 Pedersen cartridge in recognition of the difficulties of producing reliable self-loading mechanisms for more powerful cartridges. Although

3375-538: A semi-automatic rifle in battle, in 1911. Shortly after the Mondragón rifle was produced, France had its own semi-automatic rifle, the Fusil Automatique Modele 1917 . It is a locked breech, gas-operated action which is similar in its mechanical principles to the subsequently manufactured American M1 Garand . The M1917 was fielded during the latter stages of World War I , where it did not receive

3500-402: A sheriff's deputy who was working security in the area. Long parked his vehicle behind an adjacent building, got out, and prepared to shoot, but found that the vehicle was empty. He then drove north and noticed a police officer washing his vehicle a short distance away, but the officer left before Long could get close. By 8:40   a.m., police received a call about a suspicious person carrying

3625-568: A single target multiple times rapidly or multiple targets rapidly, greatly increases the effectiveness of a firearm in most applications. Reloading is a downtime from shooting and is a time of vulnerability in hostile applications. Semi-automatic rifles require less frequent reloading than single shot rifles. Semi-automatic rifles can typically more than double the hits at close range and increase hits by about 50% at longer distances compared to manually loaded rifles. The added weight of springs and fittings in self-loading mechanisms, along with some of

3750-616: A sizable international population of over 11,300 as of 2008, the largest groups were people of Hispanic and Latino, or Vietnamese descent. This contributes to Baton Rouge's unique culture and diversity. Baton Rouge has an expanding visual arts scene, which is centered downtown. Professional performing arts organizations include Theatre Baton Rouge, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, Opera Louisiane and Playmakers—a professional Children's Theatre. This increasing collection of venues includes

3875-569: A sleep aid; and citalopram , an antidepressant. Health records from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reportedly indicated contacts with Long from 2008 to August 2013. The VA records said that Long told doctors that he contracted PTSD after a friend showed him photos of maimed and decapitated bodies while they were in Iraq. In November 2011, doctors contradicted Long's suspicions of PTSD and instead diagnosed him as having "adjustment disorder with depressed mood." They eventually concluded that he

2016 shooting of Baton Rouge police officers - Misplaced Pages Continue

4000-528: A standard infantry weapon of their respective nations— Germany produced 402,000 Gewehr 43 rifles, and over 14,000,000 of the Kar98k . Another gas-operated semi-automatic rifle developed toward the end of World War II was the SKS . Designed by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov in 1945, it came equipped with a bayonet and could be loaded with ten rounds, using a stripper clip . It was the first widely issued rifle to use

4125-659: A strong man" and self-empowerment for black males, which all appeared on Amazon.com in October and November 2015. The books were described by the Los Angeles Times as "bizarre" works featuring a "combination of New Age -style jargon, pseudoscience , motivational bromides , health tips and racial theory." In the books, Long harshly criticized Western medicine , denied the germ theory of disease , and asserted that "[t]he abundance of Melanin in Black humans produces

4250-406: A superior organism both mentally and physically." The books were pulled from Amazon.com after the shooting. According to one of his books, he spent two years in several African countries studying their histories and cultures. In addition to the books, Long wrote two diaries—one in 2014 and the other in 2015—where he shared "rambling thoughts" about philosophy, religion, and politics. Sahib Taylor,

4375-405: A target and providing a large variety of customization ranging from scopes and muzzle devices, to different calibers. Semi-automatic fire greatly assists in maintaining one's sight picture, which is especially important when follow-up shots are required. Due to their demand, the manufacturers of semi-automatic firearms have greatly increased the effective firing distance of their products compared to

4500-650: A violent shootout between members of the Nation of Islam (NOI) and the police ensued, which left two sheriff's deputies and two black males dead at the scene. 31 individuals were injured, including 14 police officers. In response, then-Louisiana Governor John McKeithen ordered 700 members of the Louisiana National Guard to patrol the streets to tamp down further intercity violence. Baton Rouge Mayor-President Woodrow Wilson "W. W." Dumas subsequently imposed an evening to early-morning curfew. On January 14,

4625-458: Is 68.4 °F (20.2 °C). The average temperature for January is 51.7 °F (10.9 °C) and July is 83.0 °F (28.3 °C). The area is usually free from extremes in temperature, with some cold winter fronts, but those are usually brief. Baton Rouge's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico exposes the city and metropolitan area to hurricanes. On September 1, 2008, Hurricane Gustav struck

4750-634: Is a post painted red that the savages have sunk there to mark the land line between the two nations, namely: the land of the Bayagoulas which they were leaving and the land of another nation—thirty leagues upstream from the baton rouge —named the Oumas. The red pole was presumably at Scott's Bluff, on what is now the campus of Southern University. It was reportedly a 30-foot-high (9.1 m) painted pole adorned with fish bones. European settlement of Baton Rouge began in 1721 when French colonists established

4875-404: Is about 79 miles (127 km) from New Orleans , 126 miles (203 km) from Alexandria , 56 miles (90 km) from Lafayette and 250 miles (400 km) from Shreveport . It is also 173 miles (278 km) from Jackson , Mississippi and 272 miles (438 km) from Houston , Texas . Baton Rouge lies on a low elevation of 56 to a little over 62 feet above sea level . Baton Rouge

5000-746: Is also the location of Southern University , the flagship institution of the Southern University System —the nation's only historically black college system. The Port of Greater Baton Rouge is the tenth-largest in the U.S. by tonnage shipped, and it is the farthest upstream Mississippi River port capable of handling Panamax ships. Major corporations participating in the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area's economy include Amazon , Lamar Advertising Company , BBQGuys , Marucci Sports , Piccadilly Restaurants , Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers , ExxonMobil , Brown & Root , Shell , and Dow Chemical Company . Human habitation in

5125-566: Is developing a medical district expected to be similar to the Texas Medical Center . LSU and Tulane University have both announced plans to construct satellite medical campuses in Baton Rouge to partner with Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center and Baton Rouge General Medical Center , respectively. Southeastern Louisiana University and Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University both have nursing schools in

2016 shooting of Baton Rouge police officers - Misplaced Pages Continue

5250-563: Is syncretized with the African American Baptist culture of the Florida Parishes and South Mississippi . The city of Baton Rouge is a "college town" with Baton Rouge Community College , Louisiana State University , Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University , and Southern University located throughout the city limits; the students of Louisiana State University alone make up 20% of the city population. In

5375-608: Is the capital of Louisiana and the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 79.15 square miles (205.0 km ), of which 76.95 square miles (199.3 km ) are land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km ) (2.81%) are covered by water. Baton Rouge is on the first set of bluffs north of the Mississippi River Delta 's coastal plains. Because of its prominent location along

5500-511: Is the capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana . Located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River , it had a population of 227,470 as of 2020 ; it is the seat of Louisiana's most populous parish (county-equivalent), East Baton Rouge Parish , and the center of Louisiana's second-largest metropolitan area and city, Greater Baton Rouge . The Baton Rouge area owes its historical importance to its strategic site upon

5625-695: Is the state government, which consolidated all branches of state government downtown at the Capitol Park complex. The city has a substantial medical research and clinical presence. Research hospitals have included Our Lady of the Lake , Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital (affiliated with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital ), Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center , and Earl K. Long (closed 2013). Together with an emerging medical corridor at Essen Lane, Summa Avenue and Bluebonnet Boulevard, Baton Rouge

5750-466: The .50 BMG Barrett M82 . Semi-automatic weapons use gas , blow-forward , blowback or recoil energy to eject spent cartridges after the round has moved down the barrel , to chamber a new cartridge from the weapon's magazine , and to reset the action . This enables another round to be fired once the trigger is depressed again. Semi-automatic rifles can be fed by an en-bloc clip , external magazine , or stripper clip . The self-loading design

5875-457: The 7.62×39mm cartridge. By the end of World War II, however, semi-automatic rifles had been largely superseded in military usage by their fully automatic and select-fire counterparts - weapons such as the AK-47 , FN FAL and M16 limited the viability of widespread deployment of semi-automatic rifles. Gradually, military doctrine evolved to place less emphasis on individual marksmanship, as

6000-507: The Baton Rouge Gallery , offering a range of local art, are scattered throughout the city. Semi-automatic rifle In 1883, Hiram Maxim patented a recoil-operated conversion of a Winchester rifle . Another of the first designs of a recoil-operated semi-automatic rifle is attributed to Ferdinand Mannlicher , who unveiled his design in 1885 based on work begun in 1883. Other non-gas operated semi-automatic models were

6125-643: The Black Panther Party , in a rambling, one-sided conversation. He had previously made a similar recording using a body camera while visiting barbershops in Dallas sometime after the shooting there , to promote one of his books. A friend said that Long visited him in DeSoto, Texas , two days after the Dallas shooting; during the visit, Long obsessively watched video footage of Sterling's death and praised

6250-629: The Black Warrior River began to appear between about 1200 BC and 500 BC—a period called the Middle "Gulf Formational Stage". The Eastern Muskogean language began to diversify internally in the first half of the first millennium AD. The early Muskogean societies were the bearers of the Mississippian culture , which formed around 800 AD and extended in a vast network across the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, with numerous chiefdoms in

6375-500: The Brookings Institution . In 2009, the city was ranked by CNN as the 9th-best place in the country to start a new business. Lamar Advertising Company has its headquarters in Baton Rouge. Other notable companies headquartered in the city include BBQGuys , Marucci Sports , Piccadilly Restaurants , and Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers . Notable corporations which have established offices or distribution centers in

SECTION 50

#1732798654694

6500-624: The Cei-Rigotti in 1900. In 1906, Remington Arms introduced the " Remington Auto-loading Repeating Rifle ". Remington advertised this rifle, renamed the "Model 8" in 1911, as a sporting rifle. It was sold in Europe by FN Herstal as the "FN Browning 1900". The rifle is a locked breech, long recoil action designed by John Browning , and was offered in .25 , .30 , .32 , and .35 caliber models. It gained some popularity among civilians as well as some law enforcement officials who appreciated

6625-658: The Church of God in Christ . Presbyterians are mainly members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) . In 2020, the Church of God in Christ was the area's largest Pentecostal denomination by membership. In 2019, the second-largest religion in Baton Rouge and its metropolitan area was Islam . In 2020, there were over six mosques in the Baton Rouge area, primarily affiliated with Sunni Islam . The Nation of Islam also has

6750-504: The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office . Long, who associated himself with organizations linked to black separatism and the sovereign citizen movement , was shot and killed by a SWAT officer during a shootout with police at the scene. The shooting occurred during a period of unrest in Baton Rouge, though it is unclear if the events are related. Baton Rouge was experiencing ongoing protests following

6875-743: The Louisiana Public Service Commission in December 2022, many Baton Rougeans helped elect Davante Lewis —the first openly LGBT politician to the state government. On 28 April 2024, the Louisiana State Supreme Court gave the city of St. George the right to secede from Baton Rouge, in a 4–3 decision. The city of Baton Rouge lies on the banks of the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana's Florida Parishes region. The city

7000-537: The Old Huey Long Bridge because the clearance is insufficient. In addition, the river depth decreases significantly just to the north, near Port Hudson . Baton Rouge's largest industry is petrochemical production and manufacturing. ExxonMobil 's Baton Rouge Refinery complex is the fifth-largest oil refinery in the country; it is the world's tenth largest. Baton Rouge also has rail, highway, pipeline, and deep-water access. Dow Chemical Company has

7125-496: The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Orleans . The Southern Baptist Convention was the second largest individual Christian denomination with 208 congregations and 91,293 members. The United Methodists had 28,924 members. The National Baptist Convention had 15,532 adherents in 25 churches. Non-denominational Protestants were spread out in 270 churches numbering 102,500. In

7250-792: The Shaw Center for the Arts . Opened in 2005, the facility houses the Brunner Gallery, LSU Museum of Art ; the Manship Theatre; a contemporary art gallery; traveling exhibits; and several eateries. Another prominent facility is the Louisiana Art and Science Museum , which contains the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, traveling art exhibits, space displays, and an ancient Egyptian section. Several smaller art galleries, including

7375-528: The Union Army occupation of the city, which began in the spring of 1862 and lasted for the duration of the war. The Confederates at first consolidated their forces elsewhere, during which time the state government moved to Opelousas and later Shreveport . In the summer of 1862, about 2,600 Confederate troops under generals John C. Breckinridge (the former Vice President of the United States ) and Daniel Ruggles attempted to recapture Baton Rouge. After

7500-538: The bolt-action M1903 Springfield and became the standard infantry rifle known as the Garand Rifle . During World War II , over 4,000,000 M1 rifles were manufactured. The Soviet AVS-36 , SVT-38, and SVT-40 , as well as the German Gewehr 43 , were semi-automatic gas-operated rifles issued during World War II in relatively small numbers. In practice, they did not replace the bolt-action rifle as

7625-542: The 2010 U.S. census. After the extensive damage in New Orleans and along the coast from Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, the city took in as many as 200,000 displaced residents. In 2010, Baton Rouge started a market push to become a test city for Google 's new super high speed fiber optic line known as GeauxFiBR. In July 2016, the Greater Baton Rouge metropolitan area was heavily affected by

SECTION 60

#1732798654694

7750-544: The 2012–13 academic year. Long also spent one semester at the University of Alabama , in spring 2012, with his name making it to the Dean's List as a general business major. According to local court records, Long had no criminal record and was married for two years before the couple divorced. Long was identified as a " black separatist " by a law enforcement official. Mass shooting scholars said that Long displayed hallmarks of

7875-593: The 2020 United States census, Black or African Americans made up 53.55% of the city-proper's population. In 2021 census estimates, Black or African Americans made up the largest share of youths. The remaining racial and ethnic makeup for the city in 2020 was 34.22% non-Hispanic white , 0.17% American Indian and Alaska Native , 3.21% Asian , 0.03% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander , 2.55% two or more races , and 5.94% Hispanic and Latino American of any race. The growing Hispanic and Latino population reflected increasing trends of nationwide diversification. Among

8000-472: The American Indian population declined to one of the smallest minority groups in the area. With the increase among people of color during the 20th century, Baton Rouge has also declined as a predominantly non-Hispanic white city, hastened by suburbanization, aging out, and white flight . In 1970, non-Hispanic whites were 70.5% of the population. In 2020, they were 34.2% of the total population. In

8125-432: The Baton Rouge area has been dated to 12000–6500 BC , based on evidence found along the Mississippi, Comite , and Amite rivers. Earthwork mounds were built by hunter-gatherer societies in the Middle Archaic period , from roughly the fourth millennium BC. The speakers of the Proto- Muskogean language divided into its descendant languages by about 1000 BC; and a cultural boundary between either side of Mobile Bay and

8250-538: The Baton Rouge area have included Amazon in 2021, and Microsoft . Chicago Bridge & Iron Company had an office in Baton Rouge before being sold in 2017. In 2023, Aldi established a presence in Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge is the farthest inland port on the Mississippi River that can accommodate ocean-going tankers and cargo carriers . The ships transfer their cargo (grain, oil, cars, containers) at Baton Rouge onto rails and pipelines (to travel east–west) or barges (to travel north). Deep-draft vessels cannot pass

8375-416: The Baton Rouge police headquarters and continuing to kill officers. Two Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) officers and one East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputy were killed in the shooting, while three others, a police officer and two sheriff's deputies (Police Officer Chad Montgomery was grazed by a single bullet in the head, Sheriff's Deputy Cpl. Nicholas Tullier was shot and wounded three times in

8500-438: The Capital City Alliance. The area has grown a sizeable LGBT community, holding festivals such as Baton Rouge Pride. Native American religions and Afrodiasporic religions were commonplace alongside Christianity in Baton Rouge's early history. Due to French, Spanish, and British colonization and missionary efforts, in addition to American settlement, Baton Rouge became a predominantly Christian city and metropolitan area. In

8625-416: The Dallas shooter Micah Xavier Johnson, saying "at least he did something". The same friend said that Long also showed him a Washitaw Nation card and unsuccessfully urged him to join. Long's mother said that he would get upset at news stories of black men being shot by police, often renting cars and using them to drive to locations where such shootings occurred to pass out his books. Less than an hour before

8750-402: The Greater Baton Rouge area include the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana aligned with the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States ; and the Reformed Episcopal Diocese of Mid-America and the Anglican Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast aligned with the Anglican Church in North America . Baton Rouge's Pentecostal communities are mainly affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA and

8875-426: The Hair Crown Beauty Supply store on the 9600 block of Airline Highway. Shots were reportedly fired two minutes later. Another two minutes afterwards, there were reports that officers were down. According to investigators, Long fired upon the first responding officers, fatally wounding three. He first shot and killed a police officer, and shot and wounded his partner who fell to the ground. A third officer tried to help

9000-589: The Istrouma Bluff, the first natural bluff upriver from the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico . This allowed development of a business quarter safe from seasonal flooding. In addition, it built a levee system stretching from the bluff southward to protect the riverfront and low-lying agricultural areas. Baton Rouge has developed as a culturally rich center, with settlement by immigrants from numerous European nations and African peoples brought to North America as slaves or indentured servants. It

9125-540: The M1 Garand was ultimately adapted to fire the .30-06 Springfield cartridge at the insistence of General Douglas MacArthur , most subsequent self-loading rifles for infantry use have been chambered for less powerful cartridges to reduce weight, making the service rifles easier to carry. Target shooting has a long history, predating the firearm. As weapons that demanded user accuracy developed, so did their usage in competitions. Today, semi-automatic rifles are one of

9250-468: The Model 85 and Mannlicher Models 91, 93 and 95 rifles. The designs never proceeded past the conceptual/prototype stage due to issues inherent to the black powder used in their cartridges (based around the Austrian 11×58mmR M/77 ), such as insufficient velocity and excessive fouling . Automatic firearms would only become feasible after smokeless powder became widespread. Mannlicher designs served as

9375-714: The Southeast, as well. By the time the Spanish made their first forays inland from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in the early 16th century, by some evidence many political centers of the Mississippians were already in decline, or abandoned. At the time, this region appeared to have been occupied by a collection of moderately sized native chiefdoms, interspersed with autonomous villages and tribal groups. Other evidence indicates these Mississippian settlements were thriving at

9500-725: The U.S. began readjusting response strategies, with more officers being paired up in patrol vehicles. On July 28, the victims of the shooting were honored at a memorial service in Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge. Hundreds of people were in attendance. Governor Edwards, Vice President Joe Biden , Attorney General Loretta Lynch , and the wives of the victims made speeches during the service. The shooting renewed attention on Louisiana's open carry law, which some law enforcement officials have expressed discomfort about, believing that openly carrying citizens could complicate police matters. Some elected officials have made calls for

9625-469: The U.S. to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims. On July 22, Obama met with law enforcement officials in Washington, D.C. , and pledged solidarity in the wake of this shooting and another in Dallas . Governor John Bel Edwards released a statement immediately after the shooting, saying, "This is an unspeakable and unjustified attack on all of us at a time when we need unity and healing." On

9750-535: The United States in 1803 was a catalyst for increased Anglo-American settlement, especially in the northern part of the state. In 1846, the state legislature designated Baton Rouge as Louisiana's new capital to replace "sinful" New Orleans . The architect James Dakin was hired to design the old Louisiana State Capitol , with construction beginning in late 1847. Rather than mimic the United States Capitol , as many other states had done, he designed

9875-424: The act of peaceful protesting was a futile method based on emotion and was easily forgettable. Long also maintained a personal website in which he described himself as a "freedom strategist, mental game coach, nutritionist, author and spiritual advisor." The website contained dozens of additional videos and podcasts . Long wrote and self-published (also under the name "Cosmo Setepenra") three books about "how to be

10000-491: The area, and a minority practice Haitian Vodou , Louisiana Voodoo , and Hoodoo . In Sperling's 2019 study, 31.9% of the population identified as either spiritual but not religious , agnostic , or atheist Baton Rouge enjoys a strong economy that has helped the city be ranked as one of the "Top 10 Places for Young Adults" in 2010 by portfolio.com and one of the top 20 cities in North America for economic strength by

10125-676: The bolt action Karabiner 98k . Ultimately, automatic rifles would become standard in military usage, as their firepower was superior to that of a semi-automatic rifle. However, both semi-automatic and bolt action rifles are still widely used today in military service in specific roles, such as designated marksman rifles where the greater accuracy compared to automatic rifles is valued. Furthermore, to accommodate for this greater firepower, battle rifles were mostly replaced by assault rifles , whose lighter bullets allowed more ammunition to be carried at once. Where semi-automatic rifles continue to be used, they are usually in higher calibers, such as

10250-719: The boundary between the Houma and Bayagoula tribal hunting grounds. The French name le bâton rouge ("the red stick") is the translation of a native term rendered as Istrouma , possibly a corruption of the Choctaw iti humma ("red pole"); André-Joseph Pénicaut—a carpenter traveling with d'Iberville—published the first full-length account of the expedition in 1723. According to Pénicaut: From there [ Manchacq ] we went five leagues higher and found very high banks called écorts in that region, and in savage called Istrouma which means red stick [ bâton rouge ], as at this place there

10375-543: The cartridge energy being used to reload, can give the advantage of reduced recoil . Reduced recoil helps keep the rifle on target for successive shots, improving overall accuracy. A self-loading mechanism, tuned for specific cartridge dimensions and power, may fail to reload dirty or bent cartridges that would otherwise fire. It can also struggle to extract low-power training cartridges or may be damaged by high-power rounds. Some rifles require lubricated cartridges, making them prone to collecting dirt. Reliability issues in

10500-582: The city and became the worst hurricane ever to hit the Baton Rouge area. Winds topped 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), knocking down trees and powerlines and making roads impassable. The roofs of many buildings suffered tree damage, especially in the Highland Road, Garden District, and Goodwood areas. The city was shut down for five days and a curfew was put in effect. Rooftop shingles were ripped off, signs blew down, and minor structural damage occurred. Prior to colonization, American Indians were once

10625-618: The city-proper's third historic high in 2010, to 227,470 at the 2020 census . The black population increased in Baton Rouge after the Civil War. Including the consolidated city–parish of Baton Rouge in 2019 ( East Baton Rouge Parish ), the American Community Survey estimated 443,763 people lived in the area. In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau determined 456,781 people lived in the consolidated city–parish. The metropolitan population of Baton Rouge increased to 3.6% as

10750-579: The combination of a semi-automatic action and relatively powerful rifle cartridges. In 1936, the Model 81 superseded the Model 8, and was offered in .300 Savage as well as the original Remington calibers. In 1908, General Manuel Mondragón patented the Mondragón rifle , designated the M1908. The rifle was used by Mexican forces in the Mexican Revolution , making Mexico the first nation to use

10875-478: The curfew was lifted. A building boom began in the city in the 1990s and continued into the 2000s, during which Baton Rouge became one of the fastest-growing cities in the Southern United States in terms of technology. Metropolitan Baton Rouge was ranked as one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. (with a population under 1 million), with 602,894 in 2000 and 802,484 people as of

11000-475: The day after, he called the shooting "pure evil" and "a diabolical attack on the very fabric of society." In an interview, Mayor Kip Holden recommended police agencies across the U.S. to put their officers on high alert and urged Americans to be "vocal about their support for law enforcement". On June 30, 2017, district attorney Hillar C. Moore, III released a report, clearing the officers who killed Long of wrongdoing. In July 2017, injured deputy Tullier filed

11125-474: The direct blowback system of operation. Winchester introduced a .351 Winchester Self-Loading semi-automatic rifle, the Model 1907, as an upgrade to the Model 1905, utilizing a blowback system of operation, offering more power than its .22 counterpart. Both the Model 1905 and Model 1907 saw limited military and police use. In 1883, two Danish inventors, Madsen and Rasmussen, began developing recoil-operated, self-loading firearm designs. By 1887, they had created

11250-432: The divorce was pending, and did not deliver birthday or Christmas presents to him. Court records described one instance where Long was picked up by his father, but dropped off at a day care facility at a casino shortly after. Long served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a data network specialist from August 22, 2005, to August 1, 2010. He was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant . During his military service, he

11375-633: The government was using police to control and kill people. Within the preceding six months, Long visited the shooting range of a gun shop in Olathe, Kansas , and purchased a target that he used in shooting practice, according to an employee. The same employee also said Long did not purchase any firearms or exhibit any strange behavior at the store. In a ten-minute video, Long claimed that he arrived at Baton Rouge not to protest Sterling's death, but to educate local blacks. He also expressed his distaste for white people and mentioned Huey P. Newton , co-founder of

11500-528: The head, abdomen and upper arm (Tullier later succumbed to his injuries on 05-05-2022), and Sgt. Bruce Simmons was hit once in the left arm) were injured. The injured were transported to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center , which said it received five patients from the shooting, three of whom later died from multiple gunshot wounds. Of the surviving two, one was in critical condition , being on life support as of August 3, and

11625-532: The interwar period, including the United Kingdom , which had intended to replace the bolt-action Lee–Enfield with a self-loading rifle, but this plan had to be discarded when the Second World War became imminent, shifting its emphasis to speeding up re-armament with existing weapons. In Springfield, Massachusetts , John Garand , a Canadian -born firearms designer, was tasked with designing

11750-515: The mechanism can negate the advantage of faster firing , potentially lowering the rate of fire compared to manually loaded rifles if not designed for easy manual reloading. The United Kingdom regarded the reliable rate of fire from manually loaded rifles to be nearly as high as self-loading rifles as recently as World War II . Semi-automatic rifles are uniquely susceptible to slamfire malfunctions caused by abrupt cartridge acceleration during self-loading. Slamfire discharges are unlikely to hit

11875-462: The medical district off Essen Lane. Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center , which conducts clinical and biological research, also contributes to research-related employment in the area around the Baton Rouge medical district. The film industry in Louisiana has increased dramatically since the beginning of the 21st century, aided by generous tax incentives adopted by

12000-853: The more prominent firearms in sport shooting . There are various types of sport shooting, ranging from rapid fire shooting; target shooting, which is predominantly accuracy based; and distance shooting. Shooting clubs in America became increasingly commonplace in the 1830s, and have since grown in popularity. Semi-automatic rifles are commonly used in sport shooting events because of their accuracy, versatility, and their low weight, which has invited more people, specifically women and children, to compete as well. Semi-automatic rifles have grown in status among hunters. Many hunters are adopting semi-automatic rifles, particularly AR-15 style rifles to take advantage of their compact design and modularity, effectively making it easier to traverse rugged terrain while tracking

12125-465: The officer-involved killing of Alton Sterling less than two weeks before on July 5. On July 7, the FBI 's New Orleans field office issued a warning about "threats to law enforcement and potential threats to the safety of the general public" stemming from the death of Sterling. Within the previous week, four suspects were arrested in connection with an alleged plot to kill Baton Rouge police officers, which

12250-454: The other in fair condition. The third injured officer was transported to Baton Rouge General Medical Center and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The critically injured officer was moved to TIRR Memorial Hermann , a recovery facility in Houston , Texas , on November 16. The officers killed were identified as: Gavin Eugene Long (July 17, 1987 – July 17, 2016) was identified as

12375-587: The population of the city and metropolitan area, a substantial number identify as Cajun or Louisiana Creole . During the middle of the 20th century, The Advocate and other region-wide newspapers discriminated against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In 1969, the Krewe of Apollo—an LGBT social club originating from nearby New Orleans—developed a sister branch for Baton Rouge. Its annual drag balls were targets of further discrimination. Since then, other organizations have been established, such as

12500-560: The possibility of damaging winds and tornadoes yearlong. The area's average precipitation is 61.94 inches (141.1 cm) of rain and 0.1 inches (0.25 cm) of snow annually. With ample precipitation, Baton Rouge is fifth on the list of wettest cities in the United States. Snow in the Baton Rouge area is usually rare, although it snowed in three consecutive years at the first decade of the 21st century: December 11, 2008, December 4, 2009, and February 12, 2010. In 2017, Baton Rouge received snow again. The yearly average temperature for Baton Rouge

12625-598: The primary residents of present-day Baton Rouge. With the coming of European colonization , and the migration of American settlers after the Louisiana Purchase , European and African-descended peoples became the predominant groups in the area by birth rates and immigration to a 1860 population of 5,428. Since reaching its first historic high of 220,394 residents at the 1980 U.S. census , the city's population has expanded and contracted twice: from 219,531 in 1990, to 227,818 in 2000—the second historic high—and 229,493,

12750-467: The principle of blowback to function semi-automatically. Designed by T.C. Johnson , the Model 1903 achieved commercial success and continued to be manufactured until 1932, when the Winchester Model 63 replaced it. By the early 20th century, several manufacturers had introduced semi-automatic .22 rifles, including Winchester , Remington , Fabrique Nationale , and Savage Arms , all using

12875-587: The river and on the bluffs, which prevents flooding, the French built a fort in the city in 1719. Baton Rouge is the third-southernmost capital city in the continental United States, after Austin, Texas , and Tallahassee, Florida . It is the cultural and economic center of the Greater Baton Rouge metropolitan area. Baton Rouge has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ). It has mild winters, hot and humid summers, moderate to heavy rainfall, and

13000-527: The shooter. He was a resident of Kansas City, Missouri . In May 2015, Long filed papers in Jackson County, Missouri, to change his legal name to Cosmo Ausar Setepenra, but court officials there said he never completed the process of legally changing his name. Long was believed to have traveled more than 700 miles (1,100 km) from his hometown to Baton Rouge using a rental car. He was also believed to have been in Baton Rouge for "several days" prior to

13125-413: The shooting of Alton Sterling . His death led to multiple protests and the shooting of police officers . President Barack Obama also made remarks on the shooting of Alton Sterling. By February 2021, Sterling's family was given a $ 4.5 million settlement to settle a wrongful death lawsuit. In August 2016, the city and metropolitan area were severely flooded . During the runoff for District 3 of

13250-538: The shooting, Long purportedly emailed a three-page, handwritten letter, self-described as a "manifesto", to a Columbus, Ohio , musician whose YouTube videos he commented on. In the letter, Long described his belief that the shooting was necessary to "create substantial change within America's police force." He also wrote his belief that there was a "concealed war" between "good cops" and "bad cops", and that he had to attack "bad cops" as vengeance for perceived destruction that they continued to inflict on blacks. Although Long

13375-526: The shooting. Long committed the shooting on his 29th birthday. Long's body was released to his family on July 26, and a funeral was planned in Arkansas for a later date. Long grew up in Kansas City and graduated from high school in 2005. His parents divorced when he was eleven, and his father was neglectful of Long, according to court records. He failed to appear on scheduled visits with his son while

13500-416: The state are "almost universally unsuccessful." James Gill , a columnist with The Advocate wrote an op-ed addressing the state gun laws and their legal complications on August 11. President Barack Obama condemned the shooting in a statement and added, "These are attacks on public servants, on the rule of law, and on civilized society, and they have to stop." Later that day, he ordered for all flags in

13625-654: The state in 2002. In September 2013, the Baton Rouge Film Commission reported that the industry had brought more than $ 90 million into the local economy in 2013. Baton Rouge's largest production facility is the Celtic Media Centre, opened in 2006 by a local group in collaboration with Raleigh Studios of Los Angeles. Raleigh dropped its involvement in 2014. Baton Rouge is a culturally distinct area of Louisiana, where Cajun and Creole Catholic culture from Greater New Orleans and Acadiana

13750-509: The target and may cause collateral damage . The time required for changing or reloading magazines can weaken the effectiveness of a rifle, as it imposes an effective duration limit on the continuous rate of fire of any rifle . High-capacity magazines increase the weight of the rifle and typically reduce feeding reliability due to the varying spring tension from a full to a nearly empty magazine. Detachable magazines in general are usually less durable than internal magazines. The complexity of

13875-400: The time of the first Spanish contact. Later Spanish expeditions encountered the remains of groups who had lost many people and been disrupted in the aftermath of infectious diseases, chronic among Europeans, unknowingly introduced by the first expedition. French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville led an exploration party up the Mississippi River in 1698. The explorers saw a red pole marking

14000-478: The time, Alexander was unaware of Jackson's death during the shooting. A spokesman for the Louisiana State Police responded to Alexander's claim of police mistreatment, saying, "No complaints or concerns have been brought to our attention." Following this shooting and a previous one in Dallas, Texas , that killed five police officers and wounded nine others, local law enforcement agencies across

14125-629: The war, New Orleans temporarily served as the seat of the Reconstruction era state government. When the Bourbon Democrats regained power in 1882, after considerable intimidation and voter suppression of black Republicans, they returned the state government to Baton Rouge, where it has since remained. In his 1893 guidebook, Karl Baedeker described Baton Rouge as "the Capital of Louisiana, a quaint old place with 10,378 inhabitants, on

14250-427: The wounded policeman, but Long engaged him in a gunfight as he approached, and killed him with multiple gunshot wounds. Long then shot the first wounded officer twice more, killing him as well. Long then turned around and shot another police officer standing outside a store and then moved to another part of the complex, where he shot and wounded two sheriff's deputies who were investigating his car. At 8:46   a.m., he

14375-550: Was "United Washitaw de Dugdahmoundyah Mu'ur", and expressed his support for the Moorish Science Temple of America , another African American organization associated with the sovereign citizen movement. However, Long disavowed all prior associations in a recent video, saying, "Don't affiliate me with nothing. ... I'm affiliated with the spirit of justice." In April 2015, while in West Africa , Long also became

14500-457: Was a successor to earlier rifles that required manual cycling of the weapon after each shot, such as the bolt-action rifle or repeating rifles . The ability to automatically load the next round results in an increase in the rounds per minute the operator can fire. The main advantage of semi-automatic rifles is the ability to fire sequential shots in rapid succession without adjusting the aiming position to manually chamber cartridges . Engaging

14625-399: Was being tracked, saying, "That's just a small aspect of me. It's not a complete picture of who I am." However, the show's host, who had frequent phone and email correspondence with Long, claimed that Long was adamant about being tracked during their communications. In a "rambling" series of YouTube clips, Long claimed to be a former Nation of Islam member and referred to Alton Sterling ,

14750-550: Was completed. The site was used by Spanish, French, and British authorities and was occupied by both the Confederate States Army and United States Army . It was also part of the short-lived Republic of West Florida. In 1951, ownership of the barracks was transferred to the state of Louisiana. In 1976, the complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Acquisition of Louisiana by

14875-639: Was deployed to Iraq from June 2008 to January 2009. He was also assigned to units in San Diego, California , and Okinawa , Japan . Long was awarded the Good Conduct Medal , along with an Iraq Campaign Medal , a National Defense Service Medal , a Navy Unit Commendation , and others. Following his military service, Long told relatives and friends that he suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He reportedly had prescriptions for Ativan and Valium , both anti-anxiety drugs; Lunesta ,

15000-416: Was described as a credible threat by law enforcement officials. Ten days earlier, five police officers were killed in a mass shooting in Dallas . Long arrived at Hammond Aire Plaza, a shopping complex on Airline Highway , sometime before 8:40 a.m. CT and began scouting the area in search of police officers. He first spotted a police patrol vehicle parked at a B-Quik convenience store; it belonged to

15125-694: Was mentally stable, with no evidence that he was a threat to himself or others. According to Long's mother, the VA then sent him a letter denying him further treatment on the grounds that his disorder was not related to his military service. Long's mental health and related combat experience may have been a factor leading to the shooting. Long graduated from Central Texas College , attending the college's San Diego site at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and via an online education program from fall 2007 to summer 2011; he received an associate of arts degree in general studies. Long studied at Clark Atlanta University during

15250-468: Was patented by Garand in 1932, approved by the U.S. Army on January 9, 1936, and went into mass production in 1940. Thus, in 1936, the American M1 Garand rifle became the first gas-operated semi-automatic rifle to be adopted by a country as their standard-issue service rifle . General George S. Patton described the M1 Garand as " the greatest battle implement ever devised. " It replaced

15375-410: Was reported to be near Benny's Car Wash. Officers fired on Long from behind the cover of patrol cars. Eventually, a SWAT team responded to the scene; one member took aim at Long from about 100 yards (91 m) away and killed him at about 8:48   a.m. Louisiana State Police said Long was the only person involved in the shooting. The entire shooting lasted for less than ten minutes. Officers used

15500-428: Was ruled by seven different nations: the French, Spanish and British in the colonial era; briefly the Republic of West Florida ; the United States as a territory and a state; the Confederate States of America ; and the United States again since the end of the American Civil War . Throughout the governance of these various occupying national governments of Baton Rouge, the city and its metropolitan area have developed as

15625-588: Was said to have acted alone in the shooting, police arrested and questioned two other people in Addis as part of the investigation. They were later identified as Damarcus Alexander, a cousin of slain victim Corporal Montrell Jackson, and Alexander's friend Den'Trell White. According to them, police held them for seven hours, barring them from making any phone calls and refusing to give Alexander diabetic medication even after they were made aware of his condition. Both were eventually released without any charges being filed. At

#693306