BATON ROUGE — It's been nine years since that terrible moment when gunfire shattered the quiet along Airline Highway, leaving four law enforcement officers dead and a community forever changed.
July 17, 2016, started like any other day until officers responded to what seemed like a routine 911 call. Instead, they walked into an ambush. Gavin Long, a 29-year-old former Marine from Missouri, had positioned himself with a semi-automatic rifle and body armor, waiting. When the shooting stopped, six officers had been hit. Three died at the scene, and a fourth would succumb to his injuries years later.
The fallen officers each had their own story. Cpl. Montrell Jackson, just 32, had spent a decade serving his community with the Baton Rouge Police Department after his time in the Marines. Officer Matthew Gerald, 41, had only been a member of BRPD for nine months, but brought military experience from both the Marines and Army. Deputy Brad Garafola, 45, had given 24 years to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office and was helping a wounded teammate when he was killed. Deputy Nick Tullier, 41, fought for his life for nearly six years before complications from his injuries claimed him in 2022.
The years since have been marked by acts of remembrance. Livingston Parish, home to Jackson, Gerald, and Tullier, has woven their memory into the fabric of daily life. Drive down certain highways and you'll see signs bearing their names. Each July, blue wreaths appear at town halls and sheriff's substations. At Denham Springs High School, where many of the officers once walked the halls, students and staff gather for an annual flag ceremony and moment of silence.
When Deputy Tullier died in 2022, his name joined the others on memorials both local and national. His family, longtime parish residents, have become advocates for injured officers and survivors, turning their grief into purpose.
Brad Garafola's daughter Braley, who lives in Denham Springs, took up her father's cause by promoting the "Brad Garafola Vest Fund" to raise money for bulletproof vests. It was her way of honoring her father while protecting other officers who put their lives on the line.
Today, all four names are etched in stone at the Louisiana Law Enforcement Memorial in Baton Rouge and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. But their real memorial lives in the communities they served, where their sacrifice isn't forgotten.
