VietPress USA (April 19, 2021): According to the AP, Nine people under 18 were injured and two of them remained in the hospital Monday following a weekend shooting at a 12-year-old’s birthday party in Louisiana that was rooted in an ongoing feud, authorities said. Eight of the victims of the Saturday night shooting were boys and all were between the ages of 12 and 17, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported. A 14-year-old boy who was shot in the head and a 16-year-old boy shot in the stomach remained hospitalized in stable condition while the others were treated and released, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
The sheriff’s office had previously said six people were injured but updated the number to nine on Monday.
Sheriff Mike Tregre said the investigation has been “frustrating” as detectives work to make arrests with no help from anyone who was there.
“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 newspaper. “I’m going to be polite — it’s more than frustrating.”
The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. Saturday during a birthday party in LaPlace attended by about 60 young people.
Read more details from the People news at:
https://people.com/crime/9-children-shot-at-louisiana-birthday-party-2-still-hospitalized/
9 Children Shot at Louisiana Birthday Party, 2 Still Hospitalized with Wounds to Head and Stomach
The shooting occurred on Saturday night after "verbal confrontations" broke out during a 12-year-old's birthday party at a home in LaPlace, Louisiana, according to authorities
A shooting at a 12-year-old's birthday party in LaPlace, Louisiana, has left nine children injured — including one teenage boy who suffered a gunshot wound to the head, according to authorities.
The violent incident occurred on Saturday night after "verbal confrontations" broke out during a birthday party on the 600 block of Golfview Drive, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
Upon arrival on scene, officers discovered that nine children were injured in the shooting. All but one of the victims were male, according to police.
Those who were injured include a 17-year-old shot in the arm; a 16-year-old grazed in the ribs; a 15-year-old grazed to the ankle; a 15-year-old shot in the foot; a 14-year-old shot in the leg; a 13-year-old shot in the leg; and a 12-year-old shot in both legs.
As of Monday, seven of the victims have been treated at a local hospital and released, according to the sheriff's office.
A 16-year-old who was shot in the stomach and a 14-year-old with a gunshot wound to the head remain hospitalized in stable condition.
The sheriff's office believe more than 60 people were at the birthday party when two groups "with an ongoing feud met up at the house, began arguing and gunfire broke out."
Investigators have determined that two guns were fired in the incident, though no arrests have been made.
Despite the large number of attendees at the party, St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre said on Monday that no witnesses have come forward with information regarding the shooting.
"Not one person has given a formal statement," Tregre said in a statement. "I am asking witnesses to come forward with information to help us learn more about what happened."
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 from Crimestoppers.
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