An annual Fourth of July celebration in Shreveport, Louisiana turned tragic late Tuesday night when a mass shooting took three lives and wounded six other people, police said. There was no early word on how many gunmen were involved, their motives or how events unfolded.
Shreveport Police Lt. Van Ray said two bodies were found when officers arrived and a third person died at a hospital.
He said he didn't know the condition of the six who were wounded and brought to hospitals.
Van Ray noted that officers had a tough time reaching the victims because there were so many vehicles on-scene belonging to people attending the festivities. He said there was still "an enormous amount" of people at the scene when officers got there.
Local Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor didn't mince words, telling reporters she was "livid" and the shooting was "catastrophic, at best."
"Now we are the victim of a mass shooting in our community simply because individuals decided to come in and disrupt a good time that individuals were having," she said. "A family event that has gone on for years in our community has been disrupted by gunfire because somebody decided to pull their guns and do this. Why, why? My other choice words cannot be articulated on camera."
Taylor pointed out that there were "people running for their lives, children running for their lives, homes and lives that have been disrupted. ... We heard families crying and screaming on the street. Some individuals that (didn't) know exactly what way or what direction to go looking for their loved ones."
