A total of nine children under the age of 18 years of age were shot at a birthday party in LaPlace, Louisiana and two of the injured remained in the hospital as of Monday. Authorities suspect the shooting is a result of an ongoing feud.
Eight of the victims in the incident that occurred on Saturday were boys between the ages of 12 and 17, The Times-Picayune reports.
Two of the Nine Children, One 14-Year-Old Boy Who Was Shot in the Head and a 16-Year-Old Boy Shot in the Stomach Remain in the Hospital Following the Mass Shooting Incident.
A 14-year-old boy who was shot in the head and a 16-year-old boy shot in the stomach remained hospitalized but in stable condition, as the other victims were treated and released, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
The Sheriff’s Office had initially reported that only six children were injured at the ill-fated birthday party but updated that number to nine on Monday.
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Sheriff Mike Tregre characterized the investigation as “frustrating” while detectives work to make arrests with no assistance from anyone in attendance at the celebration.
“We have not one witness, not one person that saw anything yet. So we’re trying to solve it on our own right now,” Tregre told the outlet. “I’m going to be polite… it’s more than frustrating.”
The shooting occurred around 8:30 PM Saturday during a birthday party in LaPlace attended by about 60 youths. Sheriff Tregre said two groups of boys with a continuing feud gathered at the house and began arguing. Multiple shots were fired and more than one weapon was used, Tregre explained.
The other victims were a 17-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his arm, a 16-year-old boy with a graze injury to his side, a 15-year-old boy with a graze wound to his ankle, a 15-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his foot, a 14-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his leg, a 13-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his leg, and a 12-year-old girl with gunshot wounds in two of her legs.
Tregre said his office has received some tips but no person has come forward with a formal statement. He confirmed that the investigation will continue.
“We will not stop. We’re going to continue at this,” he said. “Somebody’s gotta come forward. This cannot just go like this.”
This is such a tragic incident but not an isolated one as we have all witnessed many mass shootings in the past few months.
The Gun Violence Archive, which tracks violent crimes with guns involved tallied up the number of mass shootings that have already happened in 2021 and calculated a 73% increase in mass shootings this year.
“It is a disease, violence, and it is contagious,” Dr. Gary Slutkin, former head of the World Health Organization’s Intervention Development Unit, told Insider in a recent interview.
“We know historically there is a strong copycat phenomenon with high-profile mass shootings,” Dr. Jonathan M. Metzl, Director of the Center for Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, told the outlet. “And so when there’s one in the news it tends to spur a number of copycat events, so people feel a contagion effect. One leads to another, leads to another.”
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Authorities are asking those with information to call the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office TIPS line at 985-359-TIPS, Juvenile Detective Ann Taylor at 985-359-8765, or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111. Callers do not have to give their name or testify to be eligible for a reward of up to $2,500 for pertinent information.
A mass slaying at a 12-year-old’s birthday party is such a tragic situation on what should have been a joyous day.