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Police release man questioned over slayings of two black men in 'possibly racially motivated' crimes

Kenneth Gleason: AP
Kenneth Gleason: AP

A man questioned about two possibly racially-motivated homicides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana has been released on bail after a drug arrest, reports say.

Mr Gleason was arrested on suspicion of drug possession unrelated to the killings. Kenneth Gleason, 23, posted his $3,500 bail and was released from prison, according to the Advocate, a newspaper in Baton Rouge.

​He was questioned for hours about the slaying of two black men, but not arrested.

Baton Rouge Police spokesman Don Coppola told the newspaper that Mr Gleason remains a person of interest in the case and that the investigation is still ongoing.

Both shootings - one on Tuesday happened about five miles from each other and within the same timeframe, between 10.45pm and 11.15pm, Baton Rouge Police Department spokesman L'Jean McKneely told the Advocate.

In both homicides, the shooter was wearing dark clothes, including possibly a tactical vest, and carrying a 9-mm handgun.

The first of the two potentially linked shootings occurred on Tuesday night when Bruce Cofield, 59, who was homeless, was gunned down. The second happened on Thursday night when Donald Smart, 49, was shot while walking work. He was a dishwasher at Louie’s Cafe, a popular spot for Louisiana State University students.

Both victims had no known prior relationship to Mr Gleason, who is white.

“We believe (the shootings) could possibly be racially motivated,” Mr McKneely said.

In both homicides, the gunman shot a lone pedestrian from inside a red “small, older sedan with shiny rims” and then left the vehicle and “shot them to death”, according to an internal Baton Rouge police bulletin that was distributed to Louisiana law enforcement, the Advocate reported.

According to the newspaper, shell casings matched from the two killings and Mr Gleason's car fit the description of the vehicle used.

When detectives searched Mr Gleason’s home on Saturday night, they found marijuana and human growth hormones in his bedroom and bathroom, the Advocate said.

Louisiana’s capital, a city of 229,000, is known for its championship college football team and its political scene. A year ago, racial tensions roiled the city when a black man was shot to death by white police officers outside of a convenience store.

About two weeks later, a black gunman targeted police in an ambush, killing three officers and wounding three others before he was shot to death. The city is about 55 per cent black and 40 per cent white.

AP contributed to this report