BRPD Chief TJ Morse issues statement on deadly officer-involved shooting; body camera footage released

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse issued a statement Friday, July 11, about a deadly officer-involved shooting on Washington Avenue earlier this month.

The shooting left 38-year-old Anthony Pursley dead. According to BRPD, officers responded to a disturbance call about an emotionally distressed individual, who was suspected to be under the influence of narcotics.

Read the full statement from Chief Morse below:

On 7/5/2025 at approximately 0355 in the morning, two Baton Police Officers responded to a residence on Washington Ave due to a report of a violent Subject inside the residence. Officers Jordan Spencer and Brandon Triplett learned from the Complainant that he was concerned Anthony Pursley was possibly on narcotics, acting violently, and might be a threat to an elderly female inside the residence.
The investigation is still in very early stages, but in a matter of transparency, I wanted to release some facts of the investigation and parts of the body worn cameras from the Officers involved. Officers can be heard planning how to safely contact and hopefully de-escalate Mr. Pursley before entering the residence. Immediately upon entering the residence, Mr. Pursley can be seen wielding a pair of scissors above his head only a few feet away from Officers. As per prior planning and training, one Officer draws a TASER, while the other Officer draws
his handgun. Mr. Pursley lunges towards the Officers, and both Officers are forced to fire the weapons (TASER and Handgun) that were in their hands at the time of the apparent attack, almost simultaneously.
I have shared the video with representatives of the family and my condolences go out to them, as it is tragic whenever a life is lost under any circumstances. Both Officers involved are currently on administrative leave, per Department policy. More updates will be released as the investigation continues.
Thomas S. Morse, Jr., Chief of Police

The Baton Rouge Police Department released body camera footage of the shooting. Watch it here. Viewer discretion is advised.

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