Shooting At Louisiana High School Graduation Injures Three

Shooting At Louisiana High School Graduation Injures Three

Bryan Babb on May 20, 2022

A gunman opened fire during a high school graduation in Louisiana Thursday, injuring three attendees as they were leaving the ceremony, local authorities said.

Hammond High School graduates and other attendees were leaving Southeastern Louisiana State University in Hammond, Louisiana, when at least one shooter opened fire, the Hammond Police Department said in a press conference. Three people sustained non-life threatening injuries in the attack, all of whom have been released from the hospital.

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Police apprehended a single suspect, 20-year-old Trent Thomas, after the shooting, police said at the conference. Thomas was charged with three counts of attempted murder in the second degree, possession of a firearm on a gun free campus and obstruction of justice.

An unidentified juvenile is also in police custody for reasons pertaining to the shooting, according to authorities. Authorities estimate at least ten shots were allegedly fired between two parties during the violence.

Authorities are considering gang affiliation as a potential cause of the shooting.

“We want justice served in this situation,” Tangipahoa Parish Public School System superintendent Melissa Stilley stated at the press conference. She added that the school district would be working closely with police during the investigation.

Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy stated in a statement that he was “praying for the shooting victims and everyone affected by the violence outside Hammond High School’s graduation” on Thursday in the wake of the shooting.

Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.