Authorities release more information on Louisiana shooting that killed 2 and gunman
More details have emerged about the shooting at a Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater that killed three people Thursday night, including the gunman.
Police say a 58-year-old white male opened fire at a screening of Trainwreck at the Grand Theatre 16. There were about 100 people in the room, and two were killed and at least seven injured. The gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police say they know the man's identity, but won't release it, and also said he had a "criminal history," although it was not recent, The Guardian reports.
Colonel Michael Edmonson of the Louisiana State Police told reporters they do not yet have a motive for the shooting. Officers did find the shooter's car in the parking lot of the theater, and called the bomb squad after seeing a suspicious package inside. The package was detonated early Friday morning after police cleared the area of reporters and bystanders, and bomb squad members then entered the theater, as police dogs had alerted them that there could be more suspicious packages inside. Once the inside is clear, detectives will be able to enter and start investigating, a state police officer said. He noted that the three bodies remain inside the theater.
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Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) said he has visited survivors in the hospital, including a teacher who saved the life of her friend after she "literally jumped over her" to shield her from the gunman. The teacher thought she was shot in the leg, but managed to pull the fire alarm, warning the entire theater that something was going on. "I think as we learn more about the details, we are going to hear about other acts of selfless heroism, of people trying to help each other and trying to save other lives," Jindal said.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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