During hours long standoff, three officers were shot before SWAT took out the suspect with one shot

KENNER, LA - Three police officers with the Kenner Police Department (KPD) were wounded by gunfire during a standoff with an armed suspect who was later fatally shot by police. 

According to Fox 8, a sniper with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office SWAT team ended the violent standoff when he shot and killed the armed suspect who has not only been accused of shooting the three KPD officers, but three other people in the last week. The incident involving KPD police and the standoff happened on Sunday, April 28th.

The armed suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Matthew Lathers. According to authorities, Lathers was wanted for an armed robbery that he allegedly committed on Tuesday, April 23rd in Kenner. During that incident, a 56-year-old victim was shot.

Lathers was also wanted for shooting and wounding two men who made the mistake of stopping in front of the residence he was hiding in on Sunday just before the standoff.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto said that Lathers likely mistook the two men who stopped near his house as the police searching for him. Lathers allegedly opened fire on the two men while they were still sitting in their car. According to Captain Michael Cunningham with KPD, one of the victims, a 62-year-old man, was shot in the arm. The second victim, a 44-year-old man, was shot in the abdomen and was critically wounded.

After the shooting of the two men, KPD deployed a SWAT team that surrounded the residence Lathers was hiding out in. After more than two hours without contact with the armed suspect, the unit deployed a robot outfitted with a camera to enter the residence, giving the police a tactical assessment of what was going on inside.

Cunningham said that the robot became "immobilized" and three SWAT officers carefully entered the home to untangle it. Officers were unsure if Lathers was still inside the home, but according to Cunningham, Lathers suddenly appeared armed with a rifle.

Lathers opened fire on the three officers. One officer was hit in the arm, one in the leg and one in the stomach. All were able to escape the house and were transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for their wounds. 

As of this writing, all three officers have been released from the hospital and are recovering. After the three officers were shot, KPD called for assistance and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deployed their own SWAT team to the scene. Lopinto said that his team's Bearcat armored vehicle also took gunfire from Lathers when it arrived on scene, but deputies were injured. 

Lopinto added, "He probably didn't want to go to jail. We attempted to negotiate with him numerous times, but there was never any answer or attempt to negotiate with us. At another point, he appeared again in the same spot with his rifle. One of our snipers was able to take him out at that time. He has been declared deceased at the scene."

Cunningham said that the two men wounded in the vehicle outside the house had no known connection to Lathers and had not tried to approach his door. The captain said, "We believe they were going to or coming from church, and stopped in front of the house when they were shot."

During the hours long standoff, police kept neighbors, residents and onlookers at bay outside of a closed perimeter. Meanwhile, police in nearby jurisdictions sent messages of support for KPD and its wounded officers.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said in a statement, "Sharon and I are praying for everyone injured during this terrible incident. We appreciate the law enforcement on the scene who are working to ensure this dangerous criminal is brought to justice."