Baton Rouge readies for funerals of 3 slain police officers

East Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputies Natasha Stingley, right, and Minnie Ducksworth, left, bow their heads in prayer before releasing balloons at a noon vigil organized by municipal court workers in downtown Baton Rouge, La., Wednesday, July 20, 2016, in honor of recent slain and injured sheriff deputies and police. Several police officers and sheriff deputies were killed and wounded Sunday morning in a shooting near a gas station in Baton Rouge, less than two weeks after a black man was shot and killed by police here, sparking nightly protests across the city. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (The Associated Press)

FILE - This undated file photo made available by the Baton Rouge Police Dept. shows police officer Matthew Gerald. Gerald, 41, was killed by a gunman in Baton Rouge, LA., Sunday, July 17, 2016. Back-to-back attacks on police in Texas and Louisiana by former military men have touched a nerve among veterans who traditionally share a close bond with law enforcement. Gerald, was a former Marine who enlisted in the Army after the Sept. 11 attacks and also served in Iraq in 2009. (Baton Rouge Police Dept. via AP, File) (The Associated Press)

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, less than two weeks after a black man was fatally shot by police here in a confrontation that sparked nightly protests that reverberated nationwide. (East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office via AP) (The Associated Press)

Funeral arrangements are set for three Baton Rouge police officers shot to death in an ambush by a lone gunman.

Visitation is set Thursday evening for city police department officer Matthew Gerald, 41, the Army and Marine veteran who had graduated from the police academy earlier this year. Gerald's funeral is set for Friday morning.

Visitation and funeral services for East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Deputy Brad Garafola, 45, follow on Saturday. Garafola was a 24-year veteran of the sheriff's office.

Services for Montrell Jackson, 32, are set for Monday. Jackson had been with the Baton Rouge Police Department for 10 years when he was killed.

All three were fatally shot in what police said was an ambush by Gavin Long, 29, of Kansas City, Missouri. Three other officers were wounded.

Long died in the ensuing gunfight with police.

Long's motive remains unclear. The shootout came as the city was already on edge after protests and arrests following the video-recorded July 5 shooting death of Alton Sterling, a black man, during an altercation with two Baton Rouge police officers.

Long was black, as was one of the slain officers, Jackson. Jackson had written on Facebook days before the shooting about the pressures he faced as a black man and a police officer.