People Are Already Blaming #BlackLivesMatter for Baton Rouge Police Shooting

A deadly shootout Sunday morning near a Baton Rouge police station left five officers dead and three injured after an ambush near police headquarters, multiple news outlets report. One of the suspects has apparently been killed, and the Associated Press reports that two are at large, according to a police spokesman The shooting comes less than two weeks after five police officers were killed by a sniper in Dallas, and just two days after Alton Sterling was put to rest in Baton Rouge. Tensions have been high there since Sterling was killed by Baton Rouge officers earlier this month, and protests have embroiled the city. Little is known on whether the suspects were Black, but already blame is being placed on President Obama and the #BlackLivesMatter movement:

Look at all the BlackLivesMatter supporters cheering on the killing of 3 cops. These people are despicable. And Obama promotes this.

— Nick Short (@PoliticalShort) July 17, 2016

Obama sponsored terrorists kill 3 more cops, others fighting for lives in Baton Rouge. Live coverage at https://t.co/rcSU9YQCQm

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) July 17, 2016

But others have pushed back, mostly saying that it is useless to blame anyone without information.

#BlackLivesMatter calls 4 peace, justice. If u r blaming BLM for officers being killed, then I bet u also just want 2 silence ppl of color

— Sarah Chambers (@Sarah4Justice) July 17, 2016

Those who attempt to pin shootings like Dallas & Baton Rouge on #BlackLivesMatter don't care about Black lives anyway. So…

— britni danielle (@BritniDWrites) July 17, 2016

  Our condolences go out to the families of the officers and the city of Baton Rouge. UPDATE: The gunman has been identified as 29-year-old retired U.S. Marine, Gavin Long. WANT MORE FROM ESSENCE? Subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest in hair, beauty, style and celebrity news.