Montrell Lyle Jackson was a 32-year-old Corporal with the Baton Rouge Police Department who was killed in an ambush on the morning of July 17, 2016. Officers had responded to reports of a man armed with a rifle on Airline Highway near a convenience store when a lone gunman opened fire, targeting law enforcement. Jackson was one of three officers killed in the attack; Baton Rouge Police Officer Matthew Gerald and East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Garafola also died, and three other officers were wounded.

The shooter was identified as 29-year-old Gavin Eugene Long of Kansas City, Missouri, a former Marine. Dressed in black and armed with two semi-automatic rifles and a pistol, he moved tactically and focused his fire on officers while avoiding civilians. The exchange of gunfire lasted less than ten minutes; responding SWAT officers engaged Long, and an officer shot and killed him from about 100 yards away. Investigators found no evidence linking Long to any organized group, though he had associations with black separatist and sovereign citizen movements and may have been motivated by retaliation against police after recent officer-involved shootings of black men.

Jackson was remembered as a dedicated officer and a loving husband and father to an infant son. If anyone has information about that morning or knew Corporal Jackson, please share what you can.