Authorities arrest one person and search for another, following deadly shooting at mall in Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana authorities have charged a 17-year-old with murder and are searching for another suspect after bystanders were caught in crossfire. armed attack in shopping mall The incident left a teenage girl dead in Baton Rouge on Thursday.
At a news conference Friday, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry vowed to stamp out the gang violence that plagues the capital. The tough-on-crime governor, who said he spoke with FBI Director Kash Patel, vowed to use state, local and federal resources to address the problem and that the consequences “will begin to be felt immediately.”
Landry said he is asking all levels and sectors of law enforcement, including the National Guard, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to “prepare for a targeted search warrant sweep” for anyone connected to the mall shooting and to focus on “the neighborhoods where these individuals originated.” Screening also includes adults who “enable juvenile offenders” and “must also face consequences,” Landry said.
“We will not allow our streets, our schools and our public spaces to become your battlefield,” Landry said. “To those who bring this violence into our public spaces and into the lives of our ordinary citizens, I want you to know that you are now the crime problem and we are focused on you.”
Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse said the shooting was motivated by “social media fights and maybe gang-related things,” but said the investigation is ongoing. The only thing Morse was sure of was that the attack was not a random incident.
“We know these were two groups of people who met at the mall, had a conversation, and then pulled guns and shot innocent people,” Morse said.
Shoppers and workers at the Mall of Louisiana ran or hid when gunshots rang out in the food court Thursday afternoon. Morse said two officers on duty at the mall ran toward the gunshots without hesitation and provided aid. He said their quick response helped save lives.
As helicopters circled overhead, hundreds of police descended on the mall, some wearing tactical gear and carrying long guns.
Five people were injured in the clash, including a 43-year-old man who was in critical condition. Martha Odom, a 17-year-old high school student from Lafayette, has died. Odom was visiting the mall with friends for “senior skip day.” reported. Among the injured were two other high school students from Odom’s school, Ascension Episcopal School.
In the school’s social media post, Odom was described as “a joyful presence whose kindness and infectious enthusiasm brought light to all who knew him.”
Following the clash, 5 people were detained but were later released. A 17-year-old man was arrested Friday after turning himself in, Morse said. The teenager was charged with first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. The teen has an extensive criminal history in the juvenile court system, Morse said.
Authorities are still searching for another suspect and are appealing for any information from the public.
At Friday’s news conference, Landry passionately told reporters that if it were up to him, the suspects “would be here for the rest of their lives.” Louisiana’s notorious state prison – better known as Angola.
Under recently enacted Louisiana law, 17-year-olds are treated as adults in the criminal justice system.
The fatal shooting was the second high-profile incident of gun violence in Louisiana this week. A. Father shot and killed his eight childrenHe and seven others carried out an attack on his family that spread across two homes in the Shreveport neighborhood Sunday morning, police said. Two women, including the gunman’s wife, the mother of his children, were seriously injured.
Also this week mass murder plan It was blocked at a festival in Louisiana. A former North Carolina law enforcement officer who authorities say planned to kill black people at a major festival in New Orleans was arrested at a Florida hotel with a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
