Racial motivation investigated in slayings

BATON ROUGE, La. — The slayings of two black men in Baton Rouge last week were probably racially motivated, police said Sunday, and a suspect — a 23-year-old white man — was in custody. In both shootings the gunman fired from his car, then walked up to the victims as they were lying on the ground and fired again multiple times.

The suspect, Kenneth Gleason, was being held on drug charges. Authorities didn’t immediately have enough evidence to arrest him on charges related to the killings, but the investigation is ongoing, said police Sgt. L’Jean Mckneely.

“The victims were ... ambushed,” Mckneely said. “There is a strong possibility that it could be racially motivated.”

Mckneely said shell casings from the shootings linked the two slayings, and a car belonging to Gleason fit the description of the vehicle used in the killings.

Neither victim had any prior relationship with Gleason.

The shootings happened about 5 miles from each other. The first occurred Tuesday night when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was shot to death. The second happened Thursday night when 49-year-old Donald Smart was gunned down while walking to his job as a dishwasher at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students, Mckneely said. Smart had a son and two daughters, said his aunt, Mary Smart.