A 58 yr old, white male, gunman open fired at a movie theater in Lousiana on Thursday night, killing at least one person and injuring at least seven others before shooting himself, officials said. The shooting took place at the Grand Theatre in the city of Lafayette. Lafayette is a city of about 120,000 people 60 miles west of Baton Rouge.
Update 12:50 am
There are 3 deaths, the seven injured range in age from late teens to “probably into the 60s,” said Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft. One victim has been released; another is in surgery and is “not doing well,” he said.
The shooter has a criminal history but it dates back several years, Craft said. He didn’t elaborate further.
Authorities located the car of the alleged shooter and spotted “stuff in there that looked suspicious,” said Col. Michael Edmonson of the Louisiana State Police.
Eight people were brought to the hospital and two, including the gunman, were pronounced dead on arrival.
Emergency workers got the call to go to the theater about 7:30 p.m. The shooting happened about 20 minutes into a 7 p.m. showing of the movie Train Wreck according to a local newspaper The Daily Advertiser, which quoted theatergoer Katie Domingue.
“We heard a loud pop we thought was a firecracker,” Domingue told the newspaper. Domingue said she saw “an older white man” standing up and shooting down into the theater, but not in her direction. Police have released that the shooter was a 58yr old white man but no other id has been given.
“He wasn’t saying anything. I didn’t hear anybody screaming either.” Domingue said. Domingue told the newspaper she heard about six shots before she and her fiance ran to the nearest exist, leaving behind her shoes and purse.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We will be updating this story, stay tuned.
Source|| CNN
