A gunman opened fire at a movie theater in Lousiana on Thursday evening, killing three people and injuring at least seven others before shooting himself, officials said.
The gunman, a 58-year-old “lone white male,” fired his weapon “numerous times” before shooting himself at the Grand Theatre in Lafayette, Police Chief Jim Craft said at a news conference.
Craft said police know the gunman’s identity but are not releasing it. He said the shooter’s body was still inside the theater and that a coroner was on the scene. Earlier in the evening, Acadian Ambulance Vice President Clay Henry had told The Associated Press that the shooter was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital.
Craft said those who were injured had injuries ranged from non-life-threatening to critical.
There were about 100 people in the theater at the time of the shooting, Sgt. Brooks David of the Louisiana State Police told CNN.
The shooting happened about 20 minutes into a 7 pm showing of the movie “Trainwreck,” The Louisiana Advertiser quoted a theatergoer Katie Domingue as saying.
We heard a loud pop we thought was a firecracker,” Domingue told the newspaper. Domingue said she saw “an older white man” standing up and shooting down into the theater, but not in her direction.
“He wasn’t saying anything. I didn’t hear anybody screaming either,” Domingue said.
Domingue told the newspaper she heard about six shots before she and her fiance ran to the nearest exist, leaving behind her shoes and purse.
Bobby Jindal at the Spot
Meanwhile, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal also arrived at the scene of crime. He praised the law enforcement officers who ran towards the shots.
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