Officer Montrell Jackson, 32, identified as Baton Rouge shooting victim

Montrell Jackson, 32, has been identified as one of three officers killed Sunday morning during a shootout at a Baton Rouge convenience store.

A cousin and family friend both told The Baton Rouge Advocate Jackson was a 10-year veteran of the Baton Rouge Police Department, and he recently welcomed a son, four-month-old Mason, with his wife. "He loved his job," friend Darnell Murdock told the Advocate. "It motivated him to go out and change people's lives. He was on the force to help people, to make you have a better day. He was humble, kind, and sweet. … He wasn't on there to write tickets. I don't understand how this could happen to someone like him."

In 2007, Jackson was treated for smoke inhalation after rushing into a burning apartment building to save a toddler. On July 8, Jackson posted on his Facebook page a plea for peace in Baton Rouge, writing, "These are trying times. Please don't let hate infect your heart. This city MUST and WILL get better. I'm working in these streets so any protesters, officers, friends, family, or whoever, if you see me and need a hug or want to say a prayer, I got you."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up