Ten people have been injured after gunfire broke out inside a shopping mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Thursday afternoon, with police confirming the suspects had fled the scene and were still being sought.
Officers were called to the Mall of Louisiana at approximately 1.22pm local time following reports of shooting near the food court. Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas Morse Jr told reporters that surveillance footage indicated the attack was targeted, stemming from an argument between two groups of people inside the food court that escalated into an exchange of gunfire. “Unfortunately, there were some innocent people in the area that might have also been hurt,” he added.
All ten victims were taken to local hospitals — some by ambulance and others by private vehicle. Police confirmed the situation was no longer considered an active shooter incident, though no arrests had been made as of the time of Chief Morse’s statement.
The shooting comes just days after eight children were killed in Shreveport, approximately 250 miles away, in a separate mass shooting that shocked the state. Thursday’s attack marks the latest in a series of gun violence incidents to strike Louisiana in quick succession.
The investigation is ongoing.
