Police: Physical Altercation Led to Shooting in Barber Shop Near Acadiana Mall Food Court, One Person Injured
Lafayette Police are currently investigating a shooting that occurred Saturday afternoon at the Acadiana Mall.
UPDATE (4:00 p.m.):
According to Senior Cpl. Matthew Benoit, a male victim was shot during a physical altercation at a barbershop near the food court in the Acadiana Mall.
After responding to a 911 call about a reported shooting around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, police were able to determine that the shooting took place in a business near the Acadiana Mall food court. Individuals were involved in a fight in the barbershop when one person reportedly produced a firearm and shot another individual.
The suspect fled the scene and a male victim was allegedly taken to a hospital by private means. Police are currently investigating witnesses and examining surveillance to gather all the confirmed details surrounding the shooting.
In the meantime, the food court is closed off, but earlier reports say the Acadiana Mall is closed for the rest of the day.
Anyone with any information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Lafayette Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 232-TIPS.
ORIGINAL STORY:
According to police, one shot was fired and one person was injured in the shooting. Police were said to be trying to locate both, but at least one report stated that the victim had been taken to a local hospital, but not many other details were immediately available.
The shooting took place "near the food court" in the Acadiana Mall and police say the shooter is not active as they believe this to be an isolated incident.
The scene was frantic for those who were in and around the Acadiana Mall at the time of the shooting.
Multiple social media users who witnessed the incident shared their experiences online. One woman was headed into JC Penney as people were running out of the mall.
Do not go to the mall! Stay away from any area near the mall! We were walking into JC Penney as people were storming the door and yelling, “Don’t go in there! There’s a shooting!” I am still shaking!
Someone else commented that they saw the police response but didn't know what was going on at the time.
I was just on Johnston Street and the cops were flying by. Hope everybody is OK.
Others were in the mall, describing the scene as people fled to safety.
we were in there and everyone was rushing to get out saying someone got shot.
This story is developing as police continue their investigation and will be updated when more information is confirmed by our KPEL News team.
In the meantime, Lafayette Police are asking the public to avoid the area as the Acadiana Mall will be closed for the rest of the day.