BATON ROUGE, Louisiana – A shooting broke out in a crowded food court at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge on April 23, killing one and injuring five others in what started as a fight between two groups of people that escalated to bystanders getting caught in the crossfire, city officials said.
Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas Morse said one person died at a local hospital, another was in surgery and three others had minor injuries. Another person was taken to another hospital and had "very minor injuries," he told reporters.
Morse and other city officials had previously said 10 people were injured. He declined to say which of the victims were considered bystanders and whether any of them were involved in the fight.
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Five suspects are in custody, Morse said at a news conference, adding that they were being interviewed and that no one had officially been arrested or charged. Morse declined to release any other details about the victims or the suspects, including their ages or what set off the fight.
"It looks like guns were pulled after words were exchanged right in front of some of the food counters in the food court," Morse said. "When those guns were pulled and shots rang out, that’s when we, unfortunately and very tragically, had innocent victims struck."
Morse said that it wasn't "a random act of violence but a very targeted disagreement between two groups of people."
Amid the chaos shortly after the shooting, Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards promised that law enforcement would catch the people responsible for the violence.
"To the thugs who did this, we're going to catch you," he told reporters at the scene. "We're not going to have this in Baton Rouge. It's not going to happen."
Asked about two back-to-back tragedies this week in Louisiana − the mall shooting and the massacre of eight children over the weekend in Shreveport − Edwards said people "have a right to be concerned."
"Sometimes the devil lives everywhere," he said. "This is one of those situations, no matter how much law enforcement you got or social programs or whatever, if someone gets in their mind that they're going to do something like this, they're going to do it. And then sometimes all we can do is respond."
Charles Koger, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, said the federal agency is supporting the local officials leading the investigation.
“This is a tragic situation and our hearts go out to everyone affected,” he said. “Our shared goal is to determine exactly what happened and to hold those responsible accountable and to ensure the safety of this community.”
Witnesses report chaos, fear
At about 1:40 p.m. local time, about two dozen police cars surrounded the mall located southeast of downtown Baton Rouge. Crowds left the mall in a panic. Some stopped to hug one another or record the scene on their cellphones.
Police gave bystanders little information, telling them there was an active shooter and to avoid the area. Authorities directed people attempting to turn around and not head to the mall. Ambulances and fire trucks were on the scene.
Stanley Jackson, a FedEx worker, was on mall's second floor when he heard gunshots from what he thought were several different firearms. Then, he told The Advocate, “everybody started running.”
Jackson said he saw four people on the ground bleeding, The Advocate reported.
Raleigh Robertson, a photographer who was shopping at the mall, told the outlet that she was on the ground floor near the main entrance when she heard gunshots.
She and droves of other shoppers fled as police cars and ambulances arrived to the scene. “You can see everyone and their mama running out the store,” Robertson told The Advocate.
Fast response credited with saving lives
City officials credited an immediate response by law enforcement with preventing further loss of life.
A Baton Rouge police officer assigned to the mall was on scene when the shots rang out and immediately "ran towards the gunfire," Morse said at the news conference.
An East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputy in the parking lot also ran toward the chaos and within minutes, dozens more officers were on scene, he said.
"You saw a response today that I has no doubt limited the severity of what it could have been," said Chris Landry, director of the city's Emergency Medical Services. "I want to make sure that the citizens understand that while this is a senseless act, what we do for you ever day is prepare for things like this ... We're prepared, we're here for you."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 1 killed, 5 injured in shooting at Baton Rouge's Mall of Louisiana
