At least one person has been killed and five others injured after two groups exchanged gunfire inside the food court of the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge on Thursday, according to police.
Baton Rouge police chief TJ Morse said the attack unfolded following an argument between the groups. Officers received reports of gunfire at around 1.22pm local time. Video surveillance later showed the two groups arguing before opening fire on one another.
“Unfortunately there were some innocent people in the area who might have also caught some rounds,” Morse told reporters. At least two of the injured required surgery. Morse initially reported ten wounded but later clarified the figure to five.
Authorities are searching for suspects with assistance from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Baton Rouge mayor Sid Edwards vowed, “To the thugs that did this, we’re going to catch you.”
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic. FedEx employee Stanley Jackson said he heard “several different guns went off” and saw four people bleeding on the ground. Kennedy Barnum, 22, was at the mall to get lunch and heard a woman on the phone say there was an active shooter.
Governor Jeff Landry urged residents to stay away from the area and expressed gratitude for the quick law enforcement response. The incident follows a mass shooting earlier this week in Shreveport, Louisiana, where eight children were killed in what police called a domestic violence incident.
