Louisiana theater shooting
Police say 58- year- old shooter dies of self- inflicted gunshot
A police vehicle blocks an entrance to the Grand Theatre in Lafayette, La., on Thursday after a man standing during the showing of a movie and opened fi re, killing two moviegoers and injuring at least seven others. The gunman later turned the gun on himself and died of his injuries, according to reports.
LAFAYETTE, La. — A gunman opened fire at a movie theater Thursday evening in Louisiana, killing two people and injuring at least seven others before fatally shooting himself, officials said.
The shooter, a 58- year- old “lone white male,” fired his weapon “numerous times” before shooting himself at the Grand Theatre in Lafayette, city Police Chief Jim Craft said at a news conference.
Craft said police know the gunman’s identity but are not releasing it. He said the shooter’s body was still inside the theater and that a coroner was on the scene.
Craft said the wounded had injuries ranging from not life- threatening to critical.
There were about 100 people in the theater at the time of the shooting, Col. Mike Edmonson of the Louisiana State Police said at a news conference. He added that police believe the gunman fired shots only at the theater and had not attacked anywhere else beforehand.
“We have no reason to believe that this individual acted beyond this location here,” Edmonson said.
Police said they closed other theaters in the area out of caution.
The shooting happened about 20 minutes into a 7 p. m. showing of the movie Trainwreck, according to 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.
“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 exit, leaving behind her shoes and purse.
At a news conference late Thursday night, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal called for prayers for the families of the victims.
“This is an awful night for Lafayette. This is an awful night for Louisiana. This is an awful night for the United States. But we will get through this,” Jindal said.
After the shooting, he posted on Twitter that he was on his way to Lafayette.
“Please say a prayer for the victims at the Grand Theatre and their families,” he posted.
He said he’ll be meeting with the families of the victims.
U. S. Rep. Charles Boustany, a Republican from Lafayette, echoed the governor’s sentiment and said he is “saddened at the terrible loss of life.”
Comedian Amy Schumer, the star of Trainwreck, also tweeted her support for the community.
“My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana,” she posted Thursday night.
Lafayette is about 60 miles west of Baton Rouge. Outside the movie- theater complex hours after the shooting, a couple of dozen police cars were still at the scene, which authorities had cordoned off with police tape as onlookers took photos with their cellphones.
A small group of theater employees stood outside the police perimeter. A man who identified himself as a general manager at the theater declined to be interviewed: “We would appreciate it if you could give us some space,” he said.