“Targeted attack”: Mass shooting in Louisiana’s Baton Rouge nightclub leaves 12 people injured

A mass shooting at a nightclub in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, left at least a dozen people injured, police said in a statement.

In a press conference, Baton Rouge Police Department spokesperson, L’Jean McKneely, said that on Sunday, January 22, an unknown assailant shot twelve people at the Dior Bar & Lounge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Describing the violent shooting spree as a “targeted attack,” police said that according to witnesses at the scene, the assailant was part of two groups of customers involved in a heated altercation at the nightclub.

Expanding on the incident, Lt. Bryan Ballard, commander of BREED's Homicide Division, said:

“At this point, we can say that it is believed to be a targeted attack. No, this was not just a random act of someone showing up and randomly shooting citizens of Baton Rouge."

Police are reportedly still searching for the suspect responsible for the mass shooting that left twelve people hospitalized early on Sunday. Authorities said that there were no casualties at the scene, noting that of the 12 people shot, three sustained life-threatening injuries and are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

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The lounge was hosting a "back to school" party when the mass shooting took place

According to CNN, the Dior Bar & Lounge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana was hosting a “back to school party” for students from Southern University, A&M college, and Louisiana State when a fight broke out between two groups of people.

The alleged altercation culminated in a violent attack where multiple people within the group fired shots, injuring dozens of people at the scene around 1.30 am on Sunday.

Police said that officers responded to the scene immediately after shots erupted at the nightclub, preventing any further injuries.

Authorities added that this is an active investigation, and while no arrests have been made, people with any information have been asked to contact law enforcement.

“There are people in the inner circle of the person who’s responsible for this, the persons who were involved in this shooting incident - their family members, their friends - there’s someone who knows something. Do the right thing.”

Meanwhile, authorities are still exploring the circumstances that led to the mass shooting.

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The Louisiana shooting took place less than an hour after another mass shooting in California

The incident comes in the wake of another mass shooting that occurred a mere hour before people were shot at the Dior nightclub in Louisiana. On Saturday night, a gunman identified as Huu Can Tran, 72, killed ten people and injured ten others at a popular Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California.

The assailant, who fled the scene, was later found dead in a white van with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police are yet to disclose the motive behind the attack.

Shannon Watts, the founder of the anti-gun violence group Moms Demand Action, condemned the string of mass shootings that have plagued the country. In a statement to NBC News on Sunday, she said:

“These senseless, preventable shooting tragedies are emblematic of America’s ongoing gun violence crisis. We don’t have to live like this, and our loved ones should never die like this. We must demand our leaders lead and act at all levels to address our nation’s gun violence epidemic.”

As per The New York Times, there have been 33 mass shootings in 2023 where at least four or more people were killed or injured.