State Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, on Friday called for federal law enforcement to be deployed into Baton Rouge following a Thursday afternoon shooting at the Mall of Louisiana that left one teenager dead and five people wounded.
"It is time for Federal law enforcement to roll into Baton Rouge in droves," Edmonds said in a statement released Friday morning. "The mandate will be simple: take on, or take out, the violent gangs holding our city hostage."
Edmonds, who represents Senate District 6 covering parts of East Baton Rouge, Livingston, and St. Helena parishes, is also a declared Republican candidate for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District seat in the May 16 primary.
The shooting occurred around 1:22 p.m. Thursday in the food court area of the Mall of Louisiana on Bluebonnet Boulevard. Ascension Episcopal School in Lafayette identified the teen killed as 17-year-old Martha Odom, one of the school's seniors. Three of the injured were also seniors from Ascension Episcopal, according to Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Blanco Boulet.
Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas Morse Jr. said surveillance footage showed two groups of people got into an argument inside the food court and began shooting at each other. Morse said all six victims appear to have been innocent bystanders and not part of the confrontation. Five people are in custody, and police said they are continuing to search for others who may have been involved. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives responded to the scene.
In his Friday statement, Edmonds said he had spoken with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gov. Jeff Landry, East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards, and St. George Mayor Dustin Yates. He said Johnson "conveyed his deepest concern and support" and indicated federal resources were available to assist the state's response.
Edmonds framed the call for federal deployment as support for local law enforcement, describing Baton Rouge Police and the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office as "some of the finest in the nation" and saying officers were "fighting an urban war they shouldn't have to fight alone."
The senator, who is a Southern Baptist pastor, opened his statement with a religious framing before turning to policy. "As a pastor, I know that the ultimate salvation for our broken world is found in Jesus Christ," Edmonds said. "But as a leader, I know that faith requires action, and the slaughter on our streets must end today."
Thursday's shooting marks the second high-profile act of gun violence in Louisiana this week. On Sunday, a father fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own, in Shreveport before being killed in a confrontation with police. The suspect was identified as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins.
Landry, who spoke at a Friday afternoon press conference with Louisiana State Police and Baton Rouge Police, said earlier on X that "these senseless tragedies must end" and that the state was "committed to holding accountable every person involved." Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards told reporters Thursday, "We're gonna catch you. We're not gonna have this in Baton Rouge."
The Mall of Louisiana was closed Friday.
This is a developing story. The Livingston Parish News will update this report as more information becomes available.
