The Latest: DA says officers "totally justified" in shootout


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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Latest on a police shooting in Baton Rouge (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

A Baton Rouge prosecutor says he believes police were "totally justified" in their actions in a Saturday morning shootout that left two officers and a suspect wounded.

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore tells The Associated Press that he reached the conclusion after viewing dashboard camera videos from the officers' two police cars.

Moore says 22-year-old Calvin Smith shot first at the two officers after getting out of the car Smith was driving, calling it an "ambush." The officers had been chasing Smith.

Gina Chambers of Baton Rouge says Smith, the son of her godmother, is on a ventilator in a hospital and may not live.

Moore says a bullet grazed one officer's head; the other officer was hit in the stomach but protected by his bulletproof vest.

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1:30 p.m.

An official identifies Calvin Smith as the man that Baton Rouge police suspect shot two officers in a predawn gunbattle Saturday that ended up with Smith and the officers wounded.

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore said the 22-year-old Smith is on probation for a 2014 conviction in Baton Rouge for indecent behavior with a juvenile.

Gina Chambers of Baton Rouge says Smith, the son of her godmother, was hospitalized in Shreveport last year after a suicide attempt.

Police say Smith led them on a roughly 2 mile chase after 5:30 a.m. Saturday before firing at them with a rifle. Moore says a bullet grazed the head of one officer; the other officer was hit in the stomach but protected by his bulletproof vest.

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11:45 a.m.

A Baton Rouge woman says the man accused of sparking a gun battle with police was hospitalized in Shreveport several months ago after a suicide attempt.

Gina Chambers of Baton Rouge says 22-year-old Calvin Smith is the man whom police say shot two officers Saturday morning following a 2-mile vehicle chase.

Chambers says Smith, the son of her godmother, has been living with her since December.

Chambers says Smith attempted suicide several months ago while living in Shreveport and was hospitalized there. He had been taking medication; Chambers says she saw no obvious signs of distress.

Police say a suspect shot at them with a rifle; Chambers says she didn't know Smith had a gun.

Smith was undergoing surgery at the same area hospital where the officers were being treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.

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10:30 a.m.

A Baton Rouge neighborhood was awakened early by a hail of gunfire that police say was sparked by a confrontation between an armed suspect and two police officers.

Several neighbors living near the house where the confrontation occurred told The Associated Press they heard dozens of shots fired.

Terrell Starwood, who was staying at a friend's house that was close to the scene when he heard sirens, followed by a barrage of gunfire.

The 31-year-old Starwood says "you could tell they were from different guns." He says all he heard was "sirens, gunshots and tires squealing."

Dozens of evidence markers were placed in the street, indicating the possible presence of shell casings and other evidence.

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9:30 a.m.

District Attorney Hillar Moore says investigators will study video footage taken by the dashboard cameras in two police cruisers for evidence into a shooting in Baton Rouge early Saturday that left two officers and a suspect injured.

The officers were responding to a report that someone was damaging property when a suspect jumped into a vehicle and drove off. He led police on a 2-mile chase before bailing out of the car with a rifle. He fired at the two officers, striking both of them. A bullet grazed the head of one officer; the other officer was hit in the stomach but protected by his bulletproof vest.

"Both of these officers were very fortunate to survive this encounter," Moore said.

Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. said he does not believe the officers' injuries are life-threatening. The suspect was also shot and was undergoing surgery at an area hospital.

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8:20 a.m.

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

Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. said he does not believe the officers' injuries are life-threatening.

Dabadie said the suspect was also shot and is undergoing surgery.

Police say the suspect led the officers on a 2-mile vehicle chase early Saturday, then exited his vehicle with a rifle and fired at them. The officers returned fire, striking the suspect.

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Police in Louisiana say two officers and one suspect are being treated at a hospital for gunshot wounds after a confrontation in Baton Rouge.

Baton Rouge Police Sgt. Don Coppola says the officers confronted the suspect after a 2-mile vehicle chase early Saturday. The suspect exited his vehicle with a rifle after the chase and fired at the officers, hitting both.

The officers returned fire and struck the suspect.

All three are hospitalized. Their conditions were not immediately available.

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This story has been corrected to show Smith is the son of Chambers' godmother, not that Chambers is the daughter of Smith's godmother.

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This story corrects the relationship between Chambers and Smith in first entry. AP Photos.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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