In the early hours of Sunday morning, January 22nd, the Baton Rouge Police Department responded to a shooting that resulted in twelve people being injured.
The shooting occurred at The Dior Bar and Lounge on Bennington Avenue, near College Drive, at approximately 1:30 a.m. BRPD officers were positioned outside the building at the time and rushed in as soon as the shooting began.
Emergency personnel reported that multiple people were taken to medical facilities, while others opted to be driven to the hospital in their own cars.
Nine of the twelve injured received non-life-threatening injuries, while three had severe injuries.
The local hospital, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, reported receiving six injured individuals. Three of the wounded were seriously injured, two were in stable condition, and one had already been discharged by Sunday afternoon.
Security footage from within the club has captured the incident, and detectives are studying the video to understand what happened. Lt. Bryan Ballard, the commander of the BRPD Homicide Division, believes this was a deliberate attack, not a spontaneous incident.
The identity of the gun used has been identified, although this information has not yet been released. It is thought to have been a lone shooter working by themselves. The number of people inside the club at the time of the shooting is still unknown. The club owners have worked with the police to aid in the investigation.
Chief Murphy Paul is asking anyone with knowledge of the shooting to contact Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867. Witnesses and other individuals are encouraged to come forward and report any information they may have.
This shooting occurred less than 24 hours after the deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, that left ten people dead and multiple injured. A 72-year-old man was identified as the killer and shot and killed himself as police zeroed in on him. The attack occurred as the city’s Asian community celebrated the Lunar New Year.