A teenager is in custody after gunfire at a busy Baton Rouge mall left one 17-year-old dead and several others injured. Police say 17-year-old Markel Lee surrendered on Friday with his lawyer and was booked on charges including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and illegal use of a firearm, reports NBC News. Lee is said to have an “extensive” juvenile rap sheet, per KATC. NBC reports that shooting broke out around 1:30pm on Thursday in the food court of the Mall of Louisiana after an argument between two groups, according to Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse.
A city police officer stationed at the mall and an East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputy outside the mall rushed in as shots were fired. The victim who was killed was identified as 17-year-old Martha Odom, a senior at Ascension Episcopal School in Lafayette, roughly an hour west of Baton Rouge. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who said in a social media post that her family has long known the Odoms, called it a “devastating loss of innocent life” and said those responsible “must face the full force of the law.” Odom’s school described her as a “joyful presence” and said two other students injured in the incident are recovering.
A 43-year-old man, identified as Donnie Guillory, remains in critical condition after surgery, Morse said, per NBC. Several others were also wounded in the shooting. Investigators used mall security footage and other methods to ID suspects and are still seeking another person wanted in connection with the case (KATC has a pic here). Five people detained on Thursday have since been released, pending further investigation, per Morse.
The police chief said at a news conference that detectives are examining whether the violence was tied to “social media beef” or gang activity and believe handguns were used; one firearm has been recovered, he noted. Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards praised responding officers for running toward the gunfire, saying they likely prevented additional casualties.