Gunfire broke out in the food court at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge about 1:22 p.m. Thursday, leaving six people wounded and killing a 17-year-old later identified by the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office as Martha Odom.
Police said the shooting was not random. It followed a confrontation between two groups, and within hours authorities said five suspects were in custody. By Friday, one suspect had been arrested and charged with murder, while police also released an image of another person they still want.
The shooting happened in one of the busiest parts of the mall, on Bluebonnet Boulevard, where people were eating lunch when the gunfire started. Baton Rouge police Chief T.J. Morse said the wounded appear to have been innocent bystanders, not part of the confrontation. A Baton Rouge police officer was on patrol in the mall when the incident occurred.
Signi Dreyer, who was inside, said she heard “a loud bang and then another loud bang” before seeing people drop to the ground. She said it looked like someone was “turning in circles and shooting,” and that at first she thought the sound was fireworks before she saw the gun and people running for safety. Her account matched the brief chaos that unfolded before police locked down the scene.
The victims included at least three students from a high school in Lafayette, and Lafayette Mayor-President Monique B. Boulet said the wounded included three seniors from Ascension Episcopal School in Lafayette. She said, “We are heartbroken by the senseless violence that happened.” Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards called the scene “chaotic and dangerous” and said, “Violence like this will not be tolerated in Baton Rouge.”
Police said the investigation is still active and more suspects are believed to be involved. Morse said, “In no way is this investigation over, and we do believe more people are involved.” Sheriff Jason Ard also said investigators could not confirm that Marcus Washington, 18, was involved in the shooting. Washington was arrested and booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Center after investigators said they found him with Schedule II narcotics and a firearm. Charles Koger said the FBI is helping in a supporting role and will provide any resources needed.
The case now centers on the suspect already charged with murder, the wanted person police have not yet identified, and the question of how many people took part in the confrontation that left Martha Odom dead and turned a lunch-hour crowd into witnesses to a shooting. For the family of the teenager killed and for the students wounded, the answers are still just starting to come into view.