Shots fired at police in 4 separate incidents in Tennessee, Georgia, Missouri
None of the shootings fatal, but 1 officer is in critical condition, another had to have surgery
Police officers were shot at in four separate incidents in the U.S. in the past 48 hours, but it is unclear whether any of the shootings are related to the violence across the country
One woman died after a man starting shooting at vehicles on a Tennessee highway.
Tennessee shooting spree
A black army veteran accused of shooting indiscriminately at passing cars and police on a Tennessee highway told investigators he was troubled by police violence against African-Americans, authorities said Friday.
One woman, a newspaper carrier driving down the highway, was killed in the shooting spree.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a news release their preliminary investigation revealed the suspect, 37-year-old former soldier Lakeem Keon Scott, who is black, was troubled by the incidents in other states. All those shot were white, police said.
His cousin, Sarah Scott, said she is so close to him, he called her "sister." She said she is shocked by the allegation he was enraged by police violence against African-Americans.
"He's into his culture, he really is, but never would he hurt anybody," she said. She called him an "open, big-hearted person."
Scott — allegedly armed with an assault rifle, a pistol and a large amount of ammunition — was wounded in a shootout with police early Thursday and remains hospitalized. Police were not able to interview him until late Friday morning, according to a statement from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
While Scott was in the hospital, 12 officers were shot at a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas.
Scott, who has no criminal history, grew up in New York City and moved to Tennessee fairly recently. His cousin said he has relatives in Tennessee and likely moved there because of a lower cost of living. She said he was in the army but was injured at some point, collected disability payments and did not have a job.
Army spokeswoman Lt.-Col. Jennifer Johnson confirmed he served from January 1998 to June 1999. He was a private in the 5th Battalion 5th Air Defence Artillery Regiment, stationed in South Korea.
One of Scott's brothers, Gerard Griffin, said Scott has three brothers and two sisters and often acted as their "protector."
Griffin said his brother "was a little angry" when he came back from the military.
"He seemed to be getting more and more frustrated with the condition of black people in America," Griffin said.
Nice to neighbour
Scott's neighbour, Alan Lavasser, who is white, said he will never believe the incident was motivated by racial tension over police violence. He said Scott was always nice and friendly.
Lavasser and his wife moved in two years ago and Scott already lived there, he said. They developed a friendship. Lavasser said he would give Scott rides because he didn't have a car, and Scott would stop by and bring them food.
"There are a lot of people trying to say this was racially motivated," he said. "I will never believe that, never, because he was always nice to me and my wife and everyone around here. No way I would ever believe that it was racially motivated."
Law enforcement said in a statement that "a thorough understanding of his motivation for this incident remains central to the ongoing investigative work."
Newspaper carrier Jennifer Rooney, a 44-year-old mother of two, was on her way to pick up papers for the morning delivery when a bullet struck her. The Bristol Herald-Courier reported that her car careened over a median and crashed through a chain-link fence.
"I don't think she had an enemy in her life," her husband, David Rooney, told the newspaper. "She was the type of person that could have a disagreement with someone and 10 minutes later turn around and help them, and that rubbed off on everybody who she came in contact with."
One of those wounded in the rampage was the longtime front desk clerk at a Days Inn hotel, Deborah Watts, who was in serious but stable condition. Investigators say Scott fired first at the hotel.
"She is like a family to us," said Days Inn owner Kiran Patel. "It's horrible. I don't know how to explain how horrible."
Two other people, including a police officer, received minor injuries.
Scott was struck by the officers returning fire. He remains in the hospital in serious but stable condition.
Missouri officer 'ambushed'
A suburban St. Louis police officer was "ambushed" during a traffic stop Friday in Ballwin, Mo., and critically injured after he was shot at least once from behind as he walked to his patrol car, authorities said.
The suspect is Antonio Taylor, who authorities say is a 31-year-old black man. Taylor was paroled in early 2015 after serving time on a weapons charge. He has been charged with assault of a police officer, armed criminal action and a felon in possession, St. Louis County police Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference.
Taylor is being held on $500,000 cash bond and is expected to be arraigned on the felony charges Monday morning.
Authorities said the officer, who was white, was a nine-year law enforcement veteran.
- Micah Xavier Johnson, Dallas police attack gunman, was army veteran
- Snipers kill 5 police officers 'ambush style' at Dallas protest, several wounded
The shooting followed the previous night's attack in Dallas that killed five officers and wounded seven during a protest over the deaths of black men killed by police this week in Louisiana and Minnesota. But Ballwin police Chief Kevin Scott said he "can't even begin to speculate" about a motive.
The officer was walking to his car after the initial conversation with the motorist he stopped for speeding when that driver "advanced quickly" on him from behind, firing at least three shots, Scott said. The officer "had no chance at all" to pull his handgun and "was completely helpless," Scott said, noting the encounter was recorded by the police car's dashcam.
"Make no mistake: We believe during this investigation that Ballwin officer was ambushed, period," Belmar said.
After the shooting, Belmar said, the suspect sped away before an officer from another police department spotted the car about six kilometres away. The suspect abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot before being arrested about five minutes later, Belmar said.
South Georgia: Officer, man exchange fire
A man who called 911 to report a car break-in Friday ambushed a south Georgia police officer dispatched to the scene, sparking a shootout in which both the officer and suspect were wounded, authorities said. Both are expected to survive.
The shooting in Valdosta, just north of the Georgia-Florida state line, happened hours after the Dallas shootings. Despite saying the officer was lured to the scene by the gunman, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said there was no immediate evidence the shootings were related.
"We're putting pieces together to understand what happened and why, developing witnesses," said Scott Dutton, spokesman for the GBI, which is handling the case at the request of local police. "There's nothing to indicate there's a connection to that."
Officer Randall Hancock was shot multiple times outside the Three Oaks Apartments just after 8 a.m. Friday, Valdosta police Chief Brian Childress said at a news conference.
"The officer called out on the radio screaming for assistance," Childress said, and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies swarmed the apartment complex.
The GBI later identified the suspect as 22-year-old Stephen Paul Beck, who is Asian. Charges against Beck were still pending Friday as he was being treated at a Florida hospital, Dutton said.
The officer involved is white, according to Valdosta city spokeswoman Sementha Mathews.
Dutton said one gunshot hit the officer in the abdomen, just below his protective vest. Other shots hit his vest. The officer fired back and wounded the suspect.
Hancock underwent surgery at a local hospital and was stable Friday as he rested with his family by his side, Childress said. The suspect was also described as being in stable condition.
"I'm relieved that my officer is fine," Childress said. "I am also equally relieved that the offender is going to make it."
The police chief said Hancock was wearing a body camera, and its video footage had been turned over to the GBI.
Childress declined to comment on the possible motive when asked about his officer being shot so soon after the Dallas attacks.
"You start to wonder," the police chief said. "But any motive of why this happened this morning, it would be speculation."
Atlanta-area shooting
Georgia police said officer Brian McKenzie was on routine patrol when gunshots were fired from a blue Ford Explorer shortly before 1 a.m. Friday, just a few hours after the Dallas sniper attack.
Police say a 21-year-old Georgia man will likely face charges including aggravated assault on a police officer after they say he opened fire on an officer from a passing vehicle.
Suspect Victor Alonzo Majia Nunez, 21, from Riverdale, Ga., was apprehended after a short pursuit in Roswell, which is about 32 kilometres north of Atlanta, early Friday. Police said he will likely face charges including aggravated assault on a police officer.
The officer, a member of the agency's drunk driving task force, didn't immediately know whether the shots were fireworks or gunshots but quickly realized that "gunshots were coming his way," said Roswell police Det. Zachary Frommer.
Multiple shots were fired, but none connected with the officer or his patrol car.
In a news release, Roswell police said a motive isn't available. Police said the suspect is speaking with investigators but "his co-operation has been limited."