A midday shooting erupted inside the food court at Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge on Thursday, leaving at least 10 people hospitalized after two groups began exchanging gunfire following an argument.
Police received reports of gunfire around 1:22 p.m. Baton Rouge police chief TJ Morse said surveillance video later confirmed that the two groups were arguing before they started shooting at each other. "Unfortunately there were some innocent people in the area who might have also caught some rounds," Morse told reporters.
Ten people were taken to nearby hospitals with varying injuries. At least two required surgery. Several suspects fled the scene as a large police response mobilized to the mall.
"To the thugs that did this, we're going to catch you," Baton Rouge mayor Sid Edwards said at a press conference. The investigation expanded to include the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene. FedEx employee Stanley Jackson, who was on the mall's second level when gunfire erupted, said he heard multiple shots. "Several different guns went off," he said, adding that people immediately began running. He saw four people bleeding on the ground.
Kennedy Barnum, 22, had come to the food court for lunch when she overheard a woman on the phone say, "There's an active shooter in the mall." She watched as shoppers ran and cried while law enforcement arrived within minutes. A security guard told her group to leave immediately.
One staff member from local news outlet WBRZ was among those moved to a secure holding area. Officers then escorted other shoppers back to their vehicles.
Baton Rouge police chief Morse stated there was no ongoing threat to the public and urged anyone with video footage to contact authorities. Governor Jeff Landry said he had been informed of the shooting and requested that residents avoid the area, while expressing prayers for those affected and praise for law enforcement's rapid response.
The shooting marked the second major incident in Louisiana this week. On Monday, a mass shooting in Shreveport left eight children and two adults wounded in what police described as a domestic violence incident.
Author James Rodriguez: "Two groups with guns and a crowded food court is a recipe for disaster, and the innocent people caught in crossfire are the real victims here."
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