Tennessee suspect motivated by deaths of blacks

A day after Dallas sniper killings, law enforcement officers fired upon in three U.S. states, including Georgia and Missouri

BRISTOL, TENN.— A man who opened fire on a highway in Tennessee on Friday targeted police officers and others because he was troubled by incidents involving black people and law enforcement officers, state authorities said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that initial conversations with the suspect, identified as Lakeem Keon Scott, revealed he was troubled by incidents across the U.S.

The suspect is black; the shooting victims are all white, the bureau said. Scott killed one person and wounded three others, including a police officer, investigators said.

Scott had two guns early Thursday when he shot at a motel in Bristol, Tenn., and then shot indiscriminately at several passing cars. When he was confronted by police, he fired at the three officers who responded.

The suspect was shot by the offi- cers and is being treated at a hospital. He has not yet been charged. In Georgia, a man will probably be charged with aggravated assault after he was accused of opening fire on a police officer on patrol, authorities said Friday.

A suspect in a vehicle was apprehended after a short car chase and is in custody.

The shooting happened in Roswell, a city just north of Atlanta, early Friday.

Victor Alonzo Majia Nunez, 21, was being questioned by detectives Friday. Police have not released a motive. Asked whether the shooting might be related to the Texas attacks, Roswell Det. Zachary Frommer said, “Nothing right now says that it is or isn’t.”

“I know detectives have been talking to him, but I don’t know how much he’s talking,” Frommer said. Though Majia Nunez has been speaking with investigators, “his co-operation has been limited,” police said in a Friday update on the case.

The suspect fired multiple shots, but none hit officer Brian McKenzie or his patrol car, Frommer said. McKenzie is white, police said. Ma- jia Nunez’s race was not immediately clear.

Meanwhile, in Missouri, a motorist shot an officer three times as the officer walked back to his car during a traffic stop, a suburban St. Louis police chief said.

Chief Kevin Scott said Friday at a news conference that the incident was captured on video.

The officer is in critical condition, but stable. The identity and race of the officer and the suspect, who is in custody, were not made public.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said, “Make no mistake, we believe that . . . officer was ambushed.”