UPDATE: July 23, 2015, 10:16 PM EDT
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — A gunman opened fire at a movie theater in Lousiana on Thursday night, killing at least one person and injuring at least six others before shooting himself, officials said.
The shooting took place at the Grand Theatre in the city of Lafayette, said Clay Henry, vice president of operations for Acadian Ambulance.
Henry said eight people were brought to the hospital and that two, including the gunman, were pronounced dead on arrival.
Henry said emergency workers got the call to go to the theater about 7:30 p.m. He did not immediately have any additional information.
The Daily Advertiser quoted City Marshal Brian Pope as saying that the shooter turned the gun on himself after firing at the others, and that six people were injured.
The shooting happened about 20 minutes into a 7 p.m. showing of the movie “Train Wreck,” according to the newspaper, which quoted theatergoer Katie Domingue.
“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.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
So now when we go to movie theaters, after Aurora and this one, we will have to take off our shoes and be searched as we enter the theater, just like going on an airplane. No thanks, I haven’t been to a movie theater in 12 years, mostly because most movies are shit, but also because I have Netflix, Hulu, etc at home and a 60 inch screen and no one watches a movie in my home with a gun.
Thank you, national gun rights idiots. How much of American traditions, and how many people will you people be responsible for killing THIS year? Tens of thousands of us die every year from guns, only a few from knives and probably none from rocks. NRA: go to Hell.
[quote=“commenterperson, post:2, topic:24140”]
Thank you, national gun rights idiots. How much of American traditions, and how many people will you people be responsible for killing THIS year? Tens of thousands of us die every year from guns, only a few from knives and probably none from rocks. NRA: go to Hell.
[/quote]To be brutally fair, everyone being armed would prevent a few of these tragedies. But, as much as the hype says otherwise, these tragedies are rare. Everyone being armed would dramatically increase the number of gun accidents and times when a hothead decides the best way to solve everything is to get the drop on the other guy. The gun accidents mostly stay out of the news, but there are way more of them than these shootings.
Knives are a different beast from guns because a stabbing is a personal way of killing someone. You need to get in close, and that’s tough if you don’t know the other fellow. Guns are always going to be the weapon of choice here regardless of the laws involved.
Still, I have to ask what the hell is going on with this country. I’m wondering if we’re finally starting to cover what is always here, that there is the occasional maniac with a gun, and that just being black is a common cause of death. Still, it’s scary.
Well, yeah tons of thousands die each year, but but but, a woman was killed in Califrisco by an illegal messican.
This National Enquirer type reporting gives no context, no sense of proportion. If TPM scoured the internet every day for drownings in backyard pools as they do for gun tragedies, could they fire up a campaign to outlaw backyard pools?
This is anecdotal evidence. Ancedotal evidence is useful to point where further investigation might be warranted. You make public policy based on valid statistical evidence.
Nothing new at all: Gun nutty white person in Red state goes on shooting rampage, then kills self. Not one thing will change, but we will all pretend to be saddened and outraged. The media will flap their arms, and refuse to hold all GOP candidates responsible for thwarting reasonable gun laws.
Next.