Thursday, July 23, 2015

3 Dead, 7 Injured in Lafayette Louisiana Theater Shooting, Police Say

from abc


Jul 23, 2015, 9:55 PM ET
PHOTO: Lafayette Police Department and Louisiana State Police units block an entrance road following a shooting at The Grand Theatre in Lafayette, La., Thursday, July 23, 2015.




Three people are dead, including the gunman, in a shooting at a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana Thursday night, police said.
There were also seven people injured at the Grand 16 Theater on Johnston Street.
Conditions of those injured range from non-life-threatening to critical, Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft said at a news conference.
PHOTO: A Lafayette Police Department vehicle blocks an entrance at the Grand Theatre in Lafayette, La., following a shooting, Thursday, July 23, 2015.
Paul Kieu/The Daily Advertiser/Associated Press
PHOTO: A Lafayette Police Department vehicle blocks an entrance at the Grand Theatre in Lafayette, La., following a shooting, Thursday, July 23, 2015.
The shooting broke out around 7:30 p.m. in one of the movie theater's auditoriums, Lafayette PD told ABC News. According to the Associated Press, the movie "Trainwreck" was playing at the time.
"We heard a loud pop we thought was a firecracker," witness Katie Domingue told the Daily Advertiser, according to the AP. She said a man shot down into the theater. "He wasn't saying anything. I didn't hear anybody screaming either," Domingue said, according to the AP.
Craft said the shooting was contained to one theater.
The identity of the shooter is known but is not being released, Craft said. The shooter was described as a man in his 50s, Craft said.
PHOTO: Police tape surrounds the scene following a shooting at a movie theater Thursday, July 23, 2015, in Lafayette, La.
Treylan Arceneaux via AP
PHOTO: Police tape surrounds the scene following a shooting at a movie theater Thursday, July 23, 2015, in Lafayette, La.
Gov. Bobby Jindal, who arrived in Lafayette tonight, called the shooting a seemingly random act of violence at a news conference.
Jindal said via Twitter:
Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy also tweeted, expressing his condolences for those shot:
The FBI said in a statement: "The FBI New Orleans Division is aware of a shooting incident that occurred at a Lafayette area movie theater in which FBI Agents, along with state and local law enforcement have responded. Presently a joint law enforcement coordination is under way and further details will be shared once the information becomes available."
The theater and its parent company, the Southern Theaters, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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