Arrests made in Louisiana mass shooting that leaves 12 wounded – KGET 17

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Police in Louisiana’s capital have arrested two people in connection with a mass shooting that injured 12 people at a nightclub in January.

Two 19-year-olds, Nikeal Franklin and Jy’Shaun Jackson, were arrested Friday, the Baton Rouge Police Department said. Franklin is charged with 12 counts of attempted first-degree murder, while Jackson is charged with 12 counts of attempted first-degree murder.

On Jan. 22, shots rang out around 1:30 a.m. at the Dior Bar & Lounge in Baton Rouge. About a dozen people were injured, most of them with non-life-threatening injuries. The three victims were initially in critical condition but later improved.

Police said they believe the shooting was not a random act of violence and was “targeted.” Sgt. L’Jean McKneely Jr., a police spokesman, told The Associated Press in the days after the shooting that investigators believe the shooting was aimed at a partygoer and that bystanders were injured in the process.

Before the shooting, the nightclub advertised a Southern University- and Louisiana State University-themed party as the two schools began new semesters. Spokespeople for LSU and Southern University told The Advocate that the club event that night in Baton Rouge was not affiliated with either school.

In a social media post Friday, police said the investigation was ongoing and did not release any details beyond the arrest announcement.

Although the number of homicides in Baton Rouge decreased last year compared to 2021, the capital of Louisiana is plagued by violence. In October, nine people were injured in an early morning shooting near the campus of Southern University in Baton Rouge.

The Baton Rouge shooting came just hours after a gunman killed 11 people and wounded nine at a Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park, California.