Site of Baton Rouge mass shooting, was hosting college party

Published 5:38 pm Tuesday, January 24, 2023

The nightclub where 12 people were hurt in a shooting early Sunday had advertised a Southern University and Louisiana State University-themed party as the two schools kicked off new semesters, according to an Eventbrite listing by the venue.

Spokespeople for both LSU and Southern University told The Advocate that the event at the club in Baton Rouge was not affiliated with either school.

Separately, Louisiana’s Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control announced it would revoke the establishment’s liquor license, citing a “potential threat to public safety,” The Advocate reported. The owner of the bar could not be reached for comment.

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Police said shots rang out around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday in the Dior Bar & Lounge. A dozen people were injured, most sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Three victims initially were listed in critical condition, but now are stable, authorities said.

Baton Rouge police have released few details about the shooting and have not disclosed any possible suspect or suspects. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Baton Rouge Police Department had not announced any arrests related to the mass shooting.

But authorities believe the shooting was not a random act of violence and that it was “targeted” at one partygoer and that bystanders were hurt in the process, said Sgt. L’Jean McKneely Jr., a police spokesman.

Although the number of homicides in Baton Rouge decreased last year from 2021, Louisiana’s capital city has been plagued by gun violence. In October, an early-morning shooting near Southern University’s campus in Baton Rouge left nine people injured.