Louisiana came under fire again after a shooting at a shopping center that left one dead

“We have five victims at a local hospital, one of whom is deceased, another is undergoing surgery and the rest have minor injuries,” Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse told the media. In addition, he added that another “very minor” injured person was being treated in another hospital.

The shooting began at 1:22 p.m. Central Time when two groups of people They argued and shouted in the food area, the police officer explained.

“We have five suspects in custody. “The investigation is ongoing and we are still looking for more people who may be involved,” Morse added.

The chief promised more details of the case as the investigation into the episode progresses, which was recorded on security cameras installed in the establishment’s food sales area.

Videos of the incident show some of the victims on the ground in front of a fast food restaurant, as well as paramedics carrying the injured out of the shopping center on stretchers.

Mall spokeswoman Lindsay Kahn called it a “terrifying day” for everyone who was there.

For her part, Desire Batton, who works at a clothing store, said she and other workers ran to a break room to protect themselves. “We hid there until the police arrived and took us out,” he said, adding that it was a terrifying experience.

Kennedy Barnum, 22, said she had gone to the mall for lunch when she heard a woman outside on the phone say, “I’ll call you later. There’s an active shooter at the mall.”

“We talked to a security guard there and she told us that there was an active shooter, that people had been shot and wounded, and that we should leave immediately,” Barnum said.

The event occurred after another mass shooting in which a man killed eight children between one and 14 years old this Sunday in Shreveport, another city in Louisianaincluding seven of his children.

The attacker, identified by the Shreveport mayor’s communications director, Leigh Anne Evensky, as Shamar Elkins, was killed by police after stealing a car and leading a chase.

He was a 31-year-old army veteran who posted a photo on social media shortly before the incident, in which one of his daughters was holding a hamburger. The shooting that began was the deadliest in the United States since 2024.

“This is a tragic situation, perhaps the most tragic situation we have ever experienced,” Tom Arceneaux, mayor of this northwest Louisiana city of about 180,000 inhabitants, said at the time. “It’s a terrible morning,” he lamented.

USA recorded so far this year 120 mass shootingswith at least four victims, according to Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization that compiles data on incidents of gun violence in the country.

With information from agencies.