A 31-year-old suspect wanted in connection to two shootings is dead following a standoff that left three police officers and two civilians wounded on Sunday in Louisiana, police said.
Matthew Lathers, had been wanted on charges including attempted murder and armed robbery in connection to a a shooting in Kenner on April 23, Kenner police Capt.Michael Cunningham said during a news conference after the shooting.
The city of Kenner is about 15 miles west of New Orleans.
During the news conference recorded by WDSU-TV, Cunningham said a sniper killed Lathers Sunday after he reportedly shot two innocent bystanders and opened fire on officers.
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Cunningham said officers responded to a home Sunday at 9:45 a.m. where Lather's relatives live after two people in a vehicle outside a home were allegedly shot by someone inside the residence.
Investigators believe Lathers may have thought the two civilians shot in the vehicle were law enforcement before he reportedly opened fire on them.
“I think what happened is some innocent people pulled up at the house, he thought it was police and fired at them,” Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto told WGNO-TV.
When members of the department's SWAT team arrived on scene to serve a search warrant, three officers were shot, Cunningham said, and the agency contacted the sheriff's office for backup.
“We attempted to negotiate with him numerous times, but there was never any answer or attempt to negotiate with us. It wasn’t until he took the position that he did that they fired upon him,” Lopinto told the outlet. “The same suspect came out with his rifle in the same location where one of our (officers) was able to return fire on him."
The sheriff said Lathers was pronounced dead at the scene.
USA TODAY has reached out to the sheriff's office for more information.
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All five people wounded by the shooting suspect were taken to a hospital, Cunningham said.
Officials said both bystanders shot remained in the hospital in stable condition Sunday.
Cunningham said all three officers were males, and one was shot in the arm, one in the leg and the other in the stomach.
On Monday, Cunningham said all three officers had been released from the hospital.
Cunningham said Lathers has a previous armed robbery conviction.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
