‘When Is Enough, Enough?’ Lafayette Leaders React After Ascension Episcopal Student Killed at Baton Rouge Mall
LAFAYETTE, La. — A 17-year-old Ascension Episcopal School senior is dead, and two of his classmates are recovering after Thursday’s mass shooting at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, a shooting that happened on senior skip day. Lafayette Parish leaders responded with grief, anger, and a question that kept surfacing: When does it stop?
According to The Advocate, a Baton Rouge Police spokesman confirmed the victim was a 17-year-old senior from a Lafayette high school. The victim had not been identified by officials as of Friday morning. None of the shooting victims were suspects, police said.
WAFB reported one person was killed and five others were injured when two groups got into an argument on the second-floor food court and opened fire on each other. Three of the six shooting victims were seniors from Ascension Episcopal School in Lafayette Parish.
Five suspects are apprehended, including one taken into custody in Livingston Parish. None had been arrested or booked as of Friday morning. Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse said at a Thursday evening press conference the investigation is far from over.
“In no way is this investigation over, and we do believe more people are involved,” Morse said.
Ascension Episcopal School Releases Statement
Ascension Episcopal School spokesperson Rachel Delcambre confirmed on Thursday that the school is aware students were among the victims and asked for privacy for the families involved.
“We are heartbroken by the news that some of our students were involved in a serious off-campus incident,” Delcambre said. “We ask our community to join us in holding our school in prayer during this incredibly difficult time. Out of deep respect for the families and the sensitivity of this situation, we will not be sharing additional details at this time.”
The school also identified the student as 17-year-old Martha Odom in a Facebook post on Friday morning.
Mayor-President Boulet: ‘A Very Sad Day’
Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Blanco Boulet confirmed Thursday evening that the Ascension Episcopal victims were Lafayette students and said she has been in contact with Baton Rouge’s mayor.
“We are heartbroken for the families, especially our Lafayette families,” Boulet said. “It’s really been a tough day for them on really a lot of senseless violence in this world that is very tragic. I am asking the entire community to pray for the children, especially those from Lafayette and especially the one that we have lost. It’s a very sad day.”
Boulet also posted on social media that she and her husband, David, were asking the Lafayette community to join them in prayer, and that she had reached out to Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards to offer Lafayette’s full support in the aftermath.
Scott Mayor: ‘This Is Not Who We Are’
Scott Mayor Jan-Scott Richard issued one of the most pointed responses of the evening, invoking both the Ascension Episcopal students and another Lafayette Parish student who was lost to violence this week.
According to The Acadiana Advocate, Richard’s full statement read:
“When is enough, enough? How many more families have to get that call? How many more young lives have to be taken before we say this is not who we are?
Today and this week, this hits painfully close to home.
Students from Ascension Episcopal School — kids with futures, families, friends, and dreams — are now part of a tragedy that should have never happened. This is not distant. This is not someone else’s problem. This is ours.
And this week, we also lost a high school senior from Acadiana High School to violence. One of our own. A life cut short far too soon. A family now grieving. A community shaken.”
Richard also thanked first responders and closed with a message to the community: “Hold your kids a little tighter tonight. Tell them you love them. Tomorrow is never promised.”
Youngsville Mayor: ‘Not Even Safe to Go to the Mall’
Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter told The Acadiana Advocate the news hit uncomfortably close.
“I’m incredibly disturbed to see how close it can hit to home,” Ritter said. “It’s a sad place we live in right now that it’s not even safe to go to the mall.”
A Week of Violence in Lafayette Parish
Thursday’s shooting comes just days after another Lafayette Parish student was killed. Wykiel Provost, a 17-year-old Acadiana High School senior, was shot at an apartment complex on Sweetbriar Street in Scott on April 19 and later died from his injuries. KPEL reported on Provost’s shooting as it happened; the Lafayette Parish School System brought in additional counselors to support students and staff in the days that followed.
What Happened at the Mall of Louisiana
The shooting began at 1:22 p.m. Thursday on the second floor of the Mall of Louisiana on Bluebonnet Boulevard. Signi Dreyer, who works at the carousel inside the mall, told WAFB she heard gunshots and saw a gunman turning in circles and shooting.
“I heard a loud bang and then another loud bang,” Dreyer said. “At first, I thought someone was shooting fireworks in the food court. I turned around, and I saw people dropping to the ground, and I immediately saw the gun.”
Police said the gunfire was the result of an argument between two groups, not a random attack. A Baton Rouge Police officer was already on patrol inside the mall when the shooting broke out. Within hours, five suspects were apprehended, though none had been formally arrested or booked as of Friday morning.
Baton Rouge General Hospital, located across Bluebonnet Boulevard from the mall, briefly went on lockdown following the incident. East Baton Rouge Parish deputies, Louisiana State Police, and the FBI all responded to the scene.
Previous Coverage...
- 3 Lafayette Teens Injured in Mall of Louisiana Mass Shooting
- Ascension Episcopal Identifies Student Slain in Mall Shooting
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Gallery Credit: Joe Cunningham
