Louisiana Night Club Shooting a ‘Targeted Event’: Baton Rouge Police Chief

Police tape in a file photo. Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

The mass shooting at a night club early Sunday morning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was a targeted event, Police Chief Murphy Paul said in a press conference on Sunday.

“This was not a random act of violence,” Paul said. “Based on preliminary investigative efforts, we believe this was a targeted event.”

The shooting began at about 1:36 a.m. at the Dior Bar & Lounge, where Paul said three police officers were nearby when the shots were fired.

When the officers entered the building, they were unable to find the shooter.

“Those police officers immediately responded to the threat, and we believe their immediate response prevented further injuries,” Paul said. “The officers were able to quickly secure the scene, as well as administer life-saving aid.”

In the press conference, authorities gave no information on a motive, the gun used, how many were targeted, or if there was more than one shooter, citing the need to keep certain details from the public while the investigation is ongoing.

Paul petitioned the public for information on the shooter.

“There is someone who knows something—do the right thing. You can save the next incident because it is obvious that this person has total disregard for life,” Paul said. “Do something about it. Don’t let that be on your conscience if you learn that you could have done something today and that person or persons continued their efforts and somebody else was hurt.”

Neighbors of the night club told WAFB news that shootings are becoming more common in the area, which has left them concerned for their safety.

Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome posted on Twitter on Sunday stating that public safety teams and community organizations are working with victims and their families to provide needed services, as well as to ensure that there are no retaliations from the incident.

“We will not stop our work until everyone feels safe and individuals no longer turn to guns to resolve their differences,” she said.

‘Violence Is Looming’

In September 2022, after multiple shootings had broken out throughout the city over the summer, Paul told reporters that “violence is looming” with eight gangs that were actively engaged in violence.

In 2022 alone, Paul said there were more than 3,100 arrests with over 1,366 firearms seized.

Many of these incidents were caused by criminals who were out on bond for other violent offenses.

“In many of these incidents—far too often—we are seeing rearrests of the same individuals who have already been arrested for serious crimes,” Broome said. “This is not finger-pointing or placing blame. It’s telling the truth. It’s the reality of what we are dealing with.”

The day before the early morning shooting in Baton Rouge, there was a mass shooting in Monteray Park, California, at about 10:22 p.m. at a ballroom dance studio. Ten people were killed and another 10 were wounded.

The suspect, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, was found dead on Sunday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a van.

No motive has been established in that shooting.