Killer of Baton Rouge police officers was in Houston days before slayings

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Online Gavin Eugene Long goes by the name Cosmo. On his web page he describes himself as a freedom strategist, radio host , author, mental game coach, former Marine and an alpha prenuer.

“It’s Cosmo here reporting live from Houston in my hotel gave out probably around 700 books something like that,” Long can be heard saying in his Youtube video dated July 12th.

“He gave me the book and he was telling me he was a nutritionist health fitness life coach,” said Kendrick McCarter.

McCarter and his mother Sharon were shocked when they realized the stranger giving away books in their fifth ward neighborhood was just days away from killing three Baton Rouge police officers.

“Would have never thought the same guy who came here and gave him this book was that man going down there killing those officers,” said Sharon McCarter. “I wouldn’t have believed that.”

In several social media postings Long makes references to violence being the answer.

On July 10th Long tweets the quote,” Yes government is a hate group they hate black people.”

“When the Native Americans were extincted by the same people who run this country my question to you just something for you to think about at what point should they have stood up,” said Long in his July 12th Youtube video.
McCarter

says Long made no mention to him about hating police or condoning violence.

“I didn’t get that from him or he was militant or he was trying to save the world I got none of that from him,” McCarter said. “He was an intelligent brother who wrote a book that’s all I got.”

Their chance meeting with Long proved to the mother and son just how small and scary the world can sometimes be.

“This was a murderer really pulled up in front of my mother’s house and talked to my son,” Sharon McCarter said. “He could have decided he wanted to shoot us or anything.”

“It’s like a brush with death,” Kendrick McCarter said. “Is he looking to kill people like me or what was he gunning for.”

According to his Youtube videos, Long was in Dallas handing out his books when five officers were shot to death in that city.