Montrell Jackson, slain police officer: 'If you need a hug ... I got you'

Story by CNN
Written by Emanuella Grinberg

Four days after the police-involved shooting of Alton Sterling turned his city upside down, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Police officer Montrell Jackson issued a plea to the embattled community and vowed to do his part to help it heal.

"These are trying times. Please don't let hate infect your heart. This city MUST and WILL get better," the 32-year-old officer wrote in a July 8 Facebook post.

And, to all the protesters, officers, friends, family and neighbors in need of a hug or a prayer in Baton Rouge, he offered a promise: "I got you."

One week later, on Sunday, Jackson's life was cut short in a shootout that left three officers dead and three more injured, law enforcement said.
Jackson's aunt revealed his identity to CNN, simply saying "Today isn't going too well."

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's office identified the other deceased as Officer Matthew Gerald and Brad Garafola. Of the other officers involved in the shooting, Nicholas Tullier of the Uniform Patrol Traffic division was shot and is in critical condition. Bruce Simmons, who also worked in the traffic division, sustained non-life threatening injuries, the Sheriff's office reported.

The deadly standoff was the latest blow to a city plagued by tensions in the wake of Sterling's death. His July 5 death, followed by another police-involved shooting the same week in Minnesota, touched off demonstrations nationwide that have led to arrests and roadway closures.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/17/us/baton-rouge-officer-profiles/index.html