Baton Rouge shootout suspect dies; 1 officer leaves hospital

A Baton Rouge neighborhood was awakened before dawn Saturday by a barrage of gunfire, with police saying two officers were wounded as they traded shots with a man they had been chasing. Both officers were hit but were able to return fire and strike Smith.

Two Baton Rouge police officers were taken to a local hospital to be treated for gunshot wounds after a shootout on Saturday morning.

The chase started just after 5:30 a.m. Saturday when one of the officers responded to a damage to property disturbance call in the 5600 block of Monet Drive.

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore told reporters that one officer was grazed by a bullet while another was shot in the stomach while wearing a bulletproof vest and that they “are fortunate to be alive”, according to CBS News.

“One more inch and an officer is dead”, said Moore.

Two Baton Rouge police officers who were shot during a confrontation with a suspect are in stable condition at an area hospital.

Neighbors say dozens of shots were fired in an exchange that also wounded the suspect.

According to the Associated Press, Smith is on probation for a 2014 conviction in Baton Rouge for indecent behavior with a juvenile.

A man has been arrested on attempted murder charges after police say he fired his gun in the parking lot of an Indian casino.

The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Calvin Smith by East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore, was undergoing surgery at the same area hospital. Chambers said family members were trying to get him treatment in Baton Rouge but did not know why he had not received it yet.

When officers arrived, Smith fled in a 2013 Dodge Avenger, leading the officers on a chase that ended when Smith swerved to a halt in front of the home where he’d been staying at 5629 Fairfields Ave., according to police, at which point Smith drew the rifle and opened fire.

A source close to the investigation says the officers are expected to survive.

The names of the injured officers could be released Monday, BRPD Cpl.

“He seemed like he was fine”, she said.

“My first reaction was ‘How were these officers not killed?’ Clearly the suspect initiated the firing.”

Officers investigate the scene of a shooting in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. “I didn’t hear nothing but sirens, gunshots and tires squealing”.