A 17-year-old has been charged with murder, as Louisiana authorities are searching for another suspect in connection with a shooting at a mall in Baton Rouge on Thursday (US time). The hostile mass shooting was triggered by two group exchanging gunfire inside the food court at the Mall of Louisiana. One person, now identified as a high school senior, was killed in the crossfire, while five others were also wounded.
The deadly shootout’s news emerged from Louisiana less than a week after the US state witnessed another mass shooting that left 8 children dead in Shreveport. Labelled a “domestic violence incident,” the shooting was carried out by the father of seven of the children killed at the time. Two adult women were also wounded before the shooter died during a police chase.
US school student identified as Louisiana mall shooting victim
According to a statement issued by the local coroner’s office on Friday, 16-year-old Martha Odom died from a gunshot wound to the chest. She was one of three high school seniors from Ascension Episcopal school, who got caught in the mass shooting’s crossfire on Thursday.
Odom’s school has since issued a statement saying, “Ascension Episcopal School carries this cross together,” adding Martha would be remembered as a “joyful presence whose kindness and infectious enthusiasm brought light to all who knew her.”
According to the school’s statement, at least five of its students were present at the scene at the time of the shooting. They were at the mall for an unofficial “skip day” for seniors at Ascension Episcopal ahead of their graduation, Louisiana’s local newspaper, the Advocate, reported.
Another victim, who is still in critical condition, was a 43-year-old man.
What do we know about the Louisiana mass shooting’s suspect?
In his public remarks addressing the shooting, Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse said the incident appeared to have been fuelled by “social media beefs and maybe gang-related stuff.” While the investigation is ongoing, he asserted that the shooting was not a random act.
“We know that this was two groups of people that met up at the mall, exchanged words and then pulled guns and innocent people were hit,” Morse said.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, authorities took five people into custody. However, they were subsequently released. Thereafter, a 17-year-old was arrested on Friday after he turned himself in, according to Morse. The suspect named Markel Lee, who was one of the five people detained earlier, has been charged with first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and a count of illegal use of a weapon.
The Baton Rouge Police Chief revealed that the suspect has a vast criminal history within the juvenile court system. Back in 2024, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry enacted a law, treating 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system.
This is a developing story.