One person is dead, and at least five others are injured after a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge Thursday afternoon (April 23).
The shooting was reported at 1:22 p.m. At a news conference, Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse said the victims were taken to local hospitals — some transported by EMS and some by private vehicle. Morse said one of the victims is in surgery for their wounds.
Baton Rouge police have five suspects in custody, Morse said. Another person of interest was detained at a subdivision in Watson, Louisiana, by the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office later Thursday, according to Sheriff Jason Ard.
After reviewing video footage, Morse said officials believe the shooting was a targeted act of violence between two groups following an argument in the mall’s food court.
“Unfortunately, there was some innocent people in the area who might have caught some rounds,” he said.
In a statement on her Facebook page, Lafayette Mayor-President Monique B. Boulet said three of the victims were seniors at Ascension Episcopal School in Lafayette.
“We are heartbroken by the senseless violence that happened today at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge,” Boulet said in her statement. “I've reached out to Baton Rouge Mayor-President, Sid Edwards, to offer Lafayette's full support in whatever way we can as families in both cities begin to deal with the aftermath of this tragedy.”
Edwards was at the scene, along with BRPD, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police and the FBI.
“This is what response time is supposed to look like,” Edwards said. “If you’re going to act like this in Baton Rouge… you’re going to be caught.
Edwards also thanked the public's help with information that led to the five arrests so far.
"I want to thank the people," he said. "People are starting to talk now. I want to thank the people who contacted Crime Stoppers, the people that have the video, and the people that have the evidence. God bless you.”
Morse is unable to confirm how many people were involved or how many weapons were used.
“We don’t know right now. We’re looking through surveillance video, crime scene’s processing the shell casings that were at the scene,” he said.
Morse said there is no known threat to the public, calling the mall the safest place in Baton Rouge. The crime scene is being taken down at the Mall, and officials say they will have another update around 5 p.m.
Gov. Jeff Landry and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill have released statements that they are monitoring the situation and asked residents to avoid the area. A moment of silence was held in the state legislature after news of the shooting was shared.
FBI director Kash Patel confirmed that agents from New Orleans and Baton Rouge are aiding in the investigation.
The AP spoke to Kennedy Barnum, 22, who said she was at the mall to get lunch at the food court when she heard a woman on the phone outside say, “I’ll call you back. There’s an active shooter in the mall.”
Within five minutes, Barnum said, law enforcement had swarmed the mall. She saw people running and crying, including one girl she described as “hysterical.”
“We spoke to a security guard there and she told us that there was an active shooter there, people were shot and injured, and we should leave immediately,” Barnum told the AP.
It’s the second instance of gun violence in the state this week. A father fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own, in an attack on his family Sunday morning that stretched across two houses in a Shreveport neighborhood, police said. Two women, including the gunman’s wife who was the mother of their children, were critically wounded.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
