During what should have been a celebratory homecoming game at Louisiana State University, a shooting on campus left two people injured, causing concern among students and alumni regarding safety measures. The shooting, reported by WDSU, occurred near Highland Road and Dalrymple Drive on Saturday evening.
Baton Rouge Police clarified the incident, stressing that it was not directly related to the football game. "It was LSU homecoming, so there were a lot of spectators out there... During the course of those persons being out and about, there was some type of disturbance or altercation, and that altercation led to the shooting," Lt. L'Jean McKneely told WBRZ. Following the violence, two individuals, aged 18 and 19, were taken to a hospital with injuries deemed not life-threatening.
The University responded to the situation by sending out a campus alert message around 10:12 p.m., notifying students that road closures had been lifted. Nonetheless, the shooting highlighted lingering concerns about gameday security protocols. LSU student Shyraine Davis expressed frustration over the incident in an interview with WBRZ, "It's so hard to get back on campus because they secure the campus like all around, but y'all can't secure it like on campus to the point of people like shooting and stuff?"
While there is an understanding there's no simple fix, calls for increased security are growing louder. Paul Bartage, an LSU alumnus, suggested to WBRZ that despite potential drawbacks, "It probably wouldn't hurt, but I mean, at the same time, that would increase maybe congestion because there's going to be more police vehicles in the way." BRPD has mentioned that they will reassess their security plans and potentially increase their presence during future games.
As investigation into the shooting continues, BRPD confirmed that witnesses have come forward to aid the inquiry. "We have got information as to what happened and possibly individuals that were involved in this shooting, so we're going to push forward our investigation in hopes of making an arrest," McKneely stated, as per WBRZ. This recent episode adds to a troubled pattern, with this being the second shooting incident on an LSU home football game night in less than a month, as reported by WAFB.
