BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — “Unfortunately we are not here for worship,” said East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor President Sharon Weston Broome.
Just feet from where the body of Tedrick Owens, 23, was fatally shot on 75th Avenue Thursday in the banks section of East Baton Rouge Parish, city police and the mayor’s office addressed the past 24 hours of bloodshed.
The shooting started Thursday before noon on Shelley Street and then on 75th Avenue, two dead. Overnight, there were four more shootings, where six were left wounded.
NBC 33/FOX 44 reporter, John Rupolo, asked Broome, what more can the city and law enforcement do to stop this violence?
“That’s a very good question I want to say that first and foremost we do not ignore the challenges that we have,” said Broome.
At the beginning of the year, the mayor said since 2021, there’s been a 34% reduction in fatal and non-fatal gun violence.
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Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas Morse says the department is reacting to the violence.
“We’re going to beef up our efforts in technology and we’re going to beef up our efforts on feet on the ground,” said Morse.
Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center ER Doctor Lambert Laperouse said the hospital has been flooded with victims of violent crimes.
“We have definitely noticed an increase in senseless, avoidable traumas, such as stabbings and shootings,” said Laperouse.
Police say they believe the recent shootings are retaliatory type shootings.
“There’s been a small group of individuals and yes, we know them to be involved in separate groups that for one reason or another just don’t like each other,” said Morse.
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Meet Angel Hawkins. Last year, her 21-year-old son Albert was murdered. She was at Friday’s press conference clutching his picture.
“Because I don’t want no other parent to feel the way I feel. I hope it stops because I have nieces and nephews coming up,” said Hawkins.
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