A shooting at the Mall of Louisiana on Thursday left ten people injured, including two who suffered serious injuries and underwent surgery, Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse said.
Six victims were taken by first responders to Our Lady of the Lake hospital, while another arrived at Baton Rouge General with gunshot wounds. The condition of the remaining injured was not immediately known.
Authorities said the violence was not random. According to Morse, the incident began when two groups got into an argument near the food court, which escalated into an exchange of gunfire. Bystanders were also among those wounded in the chaos.
In response to the incident, the mall was shut down, and Baton Rouge General Hospital, located across Bluebonnet Boulevard, was placed on lockdown Thursday afternoon.
No arrests have been made so far, and the suspects are still at large.
Mayor Sid Edwards expressed concern over the violence while praising the swift police response, saying, “The devil lives everywhere.”
US Senator Bill Cassidy said he was closely monitoring the situation. “I am hoping for the full recovery of everyone that was injured. Thank you to the Baton Rouge Police Department and all responding agencies for their swift action,” he said in a post on X.
The shooting took place about 250 miles from Shreveport, where a separate tragedy unfolded just days earlier. On Sunday, eight children were shot dead in an incident that has shaken the region.
Authorities said seven of the victims were the children of the gunman, identified as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins. He was later killed in a confrontation with police after allegedly carjacking a person at gunpoint.
