The Baton Rouge victims: A new dad, an ex-Marine and a father of four

Luke Skywalker · Jul 18, 2016

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Baton Rouge Police Officers Montrell Jackson and Matthew Gerald and East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Garafola were fatally shot by a gunman outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge. Three other officers were injured. WWL

From left: Montrell Jackson, Matthew Gerald and Brad Garafola, the three officers killed in Baton Rouge, La. on Sunday.(Photo: AP)

One was the new father of a months-old baby boy. Another, who served as a*Marine, was dad to*two girls. And the third,*a 24-year sheriff’s deputy,*was dad to two girls and two boys.
All three were killed*in an attack on law-enforcement*officers in Baton Rouge, La., on Sunday that also left three others injured, one seriously.
Two of the officers,*Montrell Jackson, 32, and*Matthew Gerald, 41,*were members of the*Baton Rouge Police Department.*The other,*Brad Garafola, was*a 45-year-old deputy with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office.
Here’s what we know about the three slain*officers:
[h=2]Montrell Jackson, 32, 'made us feel safe'[/h]

This undated photo released by the Baton Rouge Police Department on July 17, 2016, shows police officer Montrell Jackson who was killed on Sunday.*(Photo: Via AFP/Getty Images)

Two weeks ago, as Baton Rouge roiled following the death of Alton Sterling*– a black man killed by city police officers -- and after*five officers were shot dead*in Dallas, Jackson published an emotional note to Facebook. *In it, he lamented the difficulties*of being both black and a police officer.
"I'm tired physically and emotionally," Jackson wrote.*"I swear to God I love this city but I wonder if this city loves me."
He continued: "These are trying times. Please don't let hate infect your heart. This city MUST and WILL get better.*I'm working 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."
A friend of Jackson's*confirmed the authorship of the note*to the*Associated Press.
Jackson*was married to Trenisha Jackson. The couple had a son,*Mason, born four months ago.
Father-in-law Lonnie Jordan described Jackson*to the AP as a*“gentle giant” who was “always about peace.”*Jackson had been working long hours with the protests over Sterling’s death but the strain did not show, Jordan said.
In 2007, Jackson ran into a burning apartment building to save a toddler,*Baton Rouge's*The Advocate*newspaper*reported. “Jackson and other officers tried to reach the toddler using fire extinguishers, but there wasn’t enough time,” the paper said. “The police were driven back by flames, and when medics arrived they had to treat the officers, including Jackson, for smoke inhalation.”
Darnell Murdock, another of Jackson's friends, told The Advocate*that Jackson, a new father, loved his job. Last month,*Jackson marked his 10th anniversary with the Baton Rouge Police Department, according to city records.
"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," Murdock*told the newspaper, describing Jackson as "humble, kind and sweet."
"He wasn't on there to write tickets," the friend said. "I don't understand how this could happen to someone like him."
Claire Langlois, a Baton Rouge resident who worked at Laser Tag of Baton Rouge in 2008, met Jackson when he worked as an off-duty security officer there.
"Montrell had such a bright personality," she told the USA TODAY Network. "He would come in on Fridays and Saturdays and always come in to tell everyone working 'hello.'"
His humor and his friendliness made her and the rest of the staff feel a lot safer, she said.
"He laughed all the time, and it was one of those deep laughs," she recalled.
"A lot of times after work, we would stand outside around his police unit and just talk about different things happening in our lives, current events or whatever new movies had just come out."
"He made us feel safe."
When business was slow, she said Jackson would go inside and talk to the Laser Tag employees.
"He wasn't just an officer who was there to contain rowdy crowds on weekend nights," Langlois said. "He was family."
She said Jackson was an example of a police officer who seemed to care deeply about the people and the community he served.
Every night he worked, she would walk by his unit to tell him goodnight.
When the store would close up at night, Langlois said Jackson wouldn't leave until everyone at Laser Tag was out of the building and headed home, and that stuck with her.
"He really was just a kind-hearted and gentle person," Langlois said. "He was the kind of guy who represents the badge in the very best way."
[h=2]Matthew Gerald, 41, served in the Marines and Army[/h]

This undated photo released by the Baton Rouge Police Department on July 17, 2016, shows police officer Matthew Gerald who was killed on Sunday.*(Photo: Via AFP/Getty Images)

Before Matthew Gerald joined*the Baton Rouge Police Department, the 41-year-old served with both the Marines and the Army,*according to*The Washington Post.*He was a father of two daughters.
Friends said Gerald deployed to Iraq three times, describing him to the newspaper as an avid*Louisiana State University*football fan who also loved bass fishing.
"Matt was the kind of guy that you knew immediately when he entered the room," Ryan D. Cabral, who served with Gerald in Iraq, told the Post. "Whether it was the energy he carried with him or that Cajun accent he had . . . maybe it was the Marine in him."
*“We did our time in the military, and when that time was up, you just can’t turn off that want to serve the people,” Cabral,*now a police officer in Texas, told the paper.
“Today he did his final service by giving his life to protect the citizens of Baton Rouge and his fellow brothers and sisters in uniform.”
Nick Lambert, who also served with Gerald in the Army, was incredulous that he had survived the dangers of Iraq only to be killed in him homeland.
"After three tours, not a scratch on him," he told the Post,*"Comes back home, chooses a job to serve others, and this is what our society does?" Lambert said. "It's a coward's way to make a statement."
[h=2]Brad Garafola, 45, 'peace officer'[/h]

This undated photo made available by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office shows deputy Brad Garafola. Garafola and at least two other Baton Rouge law enforcement officers investigating a report of a man with an assault rifle were killed Sunday, July 17, 2016*(Photo: East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office via AP)

Brad Garafola, who joined*the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office 24 years ago, loved to tinker*around his home, said his widow, Tonja Garafola,
“He loved staying outside and fixing things,” she told Baton Rouge's The Advocate newspaper. “Besides the Sheriff’s Office, that was his passion.”
Tonja Garafola told the paper that*her husband was known as a jack of all trades from building a pool deck to working on two cars in his garage, one in preparation for his 15-year-old daughter when she started to drive.
But number one, she said, was his family.
“He loved us so much,” she told The Advocate. “He was always bragging about his family.”
He leaves four children – a 21-year-old son who lives in Texas, a 15-year-old daughter, 12-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter.
According to neighbor Rhonda Smith,*he was never seen without at least one of his children.
He was “the epitome of a peace officer,” Smith said
According to WAFB, a local TV station, his brother, Brett Garafola, posted about his fallen kin*on Facebook,.
"Brad, I love you very much my brother. I respect and appreciate everything you did for us, this city, and your job to protect and serve," he*a wrote. "To the rest of my family and other officers please watch your 6 and God please watch over them."
Contributing:*WWL-TV in New Orleans.
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The Baton Rouge victims: A new dad, an ex-Marine and a father of four

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