BATON ROUGE — One of the five people detained in Thursday’s deadly shooting at the Mall of Louisiana had previously been arrested after a gun went off inside a classroom at Istrouma High School earlier this year, UWK has learned.
Authorities said five people were in custody in connection with the mall shooting as of Thursday evening, which left one person dead and at least five others injured. Investigators believe the violence may be gang-related. Since their detainment, BRPD said Friday afternoon that all five people held for questioning have been released but remain persons of interest.
Marcus Washington, 18, was in court just days before the shooting for a bond review tied to his February arrest.
Court records show that during a hearing Tuesday, Commissioner Jermaine Guillory allowed Washington to stop wearing a GPS ankle monitor and instead placed him on telephone-based supervision.
Washington remained under house arrest and was only allowed to leave for work, school, church or medical appointments. He was also prohibited from possessing any firearms.
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Washington was arrested on Feb. 25 after a gun discharged inside a classroom at Istrouma High School just before 9 a.m., according to police.
Investigators said the weapon, equipped with a machine gun conversion device, was later found partially hidden behind a ceiling panel in a bathroom.
He was booked on multiple charges, including negligent carrying of a concealed handgun, illegal use of a weapon, possession of a stolen firearm, illegal possession of a firearm at a school and handling of machine guns.
According to arrest records, Washington told police he did not intend to bring the gun to school and claimed he grabbed the wrong backpack by mistake.
He also told investigators he had taken the gun from a bedroom at an Airbnb about a month earlier. Police later confirmed the firearm had been reported stolen in Baker in 2023.
Washington posted a $50,000 bond two days after his arrest and was released.
Court records list his address at the time as a home on Rustic Lane in Denham Springs. A large law enforcement presence was seen in that neighborhood Thursday afternoon following the mall shooting.
Authorities have not yet detailed Washington’s specific role in the Mall of Louisiana shooting or what charges he may face in that case.
Multiple sources tell UWK that Washington had a gun on him when he was detained in connection to the Mall shooting.
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