At the Dior Bar & Lounge nightclub, three Baton Rouge police responded to gunfire at 1:30 a.m. in Louisiana. The officers quickly administered life-saving aid until emergency medical help arrived.
Highlights
A dozen people were injured in the shootings in the Baton Rouge nightclub, said the authorities in Louisiana on Sunday. According to police, the early morning attack was part of a targeted killing. One of the victims is badly injured, and no arrests have been made.
On Sunday afternoon, Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul said in a news conference that “based on the preliminary investigation, this is not a random act of violence.“ “We believe that it was a targeted event, where someone was particularly targeted and others were caught up in the brawl in the process.”
Three officers from the Baton Rouge police station were nearby when they heard the gunshots at 1:30 a.m. and responded to the Dior Bar & Lounge. They administered life-saving aid until medical help arrived.
Police have some leads, but Paul urged any witnesses to come forward with any information about the shooting.
“If anyone knows anything – do the right thing. You can prevent the next incident, as it’s obvious that this person has total disregard for life,” Paul said.
When asked about how many people shot were targeted, the police declined to make a comment on how many shooters opened fire.
The police chief spoke to the press and declined to by saying “I verily understand the need for information, but we are trying to do the right thing”, “the investigation is underway and by means of right thing I can’t give any information right now”
Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome – met the mayors of other cities in Washington DC, Last week, and discussed the crime of “senseless act of shooting violence will not be ignored”
We will ensure everyone feels safe and will continue to work until individuals no longer resort to guns to resolve their differences”, Broome said.
Although the number of homicide cases has decreased in Baton Rouge since 2021, the capital city of Louisiana has been plagued by gun violence. In October, a shooting incident in the early morning near Southern University’s campus in Baton Rouge left nine people injured.
Louisiana leads the nation in gun violence
Louisiana which ranks 27th in population size, experienced 16 mass shootings last year, behind only California’s 20 and Texas’s 21.
Louisiana’s mass shooting incident left 80 people injured and 9 reported to be dead. The mass shootings have taken across the state injuring 12 in Lafayette and involving multiple suspects and officers.
In New Orleans, gunfire directed at a bar on Magazine Street left 6 injured on April, 22.
Ten people were shot in Bogalusa in March after a Mardi Gras parade.
In 2022, Baton Rouge and New Orleans will be the major cities with the highest rates of gun violence and mass shootings.
Both cities have seen a surge in homicides and gun violence this year, following the nationwide trend of violent crime.
A 2021 article in the New York Times noted that Louisiana had the highest rate of murder of any other state for the past three decades. The articles point out the state’s high poverty rates, high incarceration rates, and “inheritance of violence.”
Easy access to firearms was another reason for gun violence.
Louisiana has some of the weakest gun laws
Louisiana has weak gun laws and has the second-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. The state does not require a person to have a criminal background check to buy firearms from an unlicensed dealer.
The Stand Your Ground Law allows people to shoot and kill others, even having the chance to safely and easily retreat or avoid confrontation.
In Louisiana, a person is not required to obtain a permit and firearm safety training before carrying a concealed pistol in public.
Lawmakers have not considered any policies that would pose some restrictions on gun owners and limit the ease of obtaining firearms. Instead, lawmakers have concentrated their energies to focus on the reintroduction of firearms and permitless ownership, which have been repeatedly slammed and opposed by law enforcement, faith leaders, community members, and other key public safety stakeholders.
In the April of 2022, a toddler died after unintentionally shooting himself in the Stomach at a hotel in Lafayette.
Earlier that month a woman was hospitalized after her five-year-old son got a hold of her handgun and shot her in the leg. In the same month, two children in Shreveport shot themselves after they got access to a handgun.
In January, a 4-year-old badly shot himself while sitting with a gun he found in his mother’s car.
In an average year, 1036 people die by gunfire in Louisiana, and 4,397 more are wounded.
Also Read: Unusual Green Comet, Visible To Earth In 50,000 Years
