BAKER — A student is out of the ICU and recovering after a shooting near Baker High School last week, Baker Police shared. Detectives have spoken with the victim and are pursuing multiple leads in what they’re calling a “targeted” shooting.
Officials are continuing to investigate the second shooting near the high school last week. On Monday, June 8, there were “shots fired” near the Baker High School football field, and on June 10, a second shooting took place, this time with one person injured.
Officials confirmed that shooting happened around 10:12 a.m. on June 10, behind the Baker High School band room. Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn said that the police department was able to hear the shots from the station.
The school was in session for summer school, and multiple sports and extracurricular events were also holding practices on campus this morning.
Dunn said that between 7 and 10 shots were fired in the incident. The shooting appears to have been targeted.
One person, a student attending summer school, was injured and transported to a local hospital, according to Dunn. That person’s name and age have not been publicly released. On Friday, Assistant Chief of Police Chris Becnel said that the victim was still in the ICU but could soon be moved to a regular room.
As of June 15, that student is now out of the ICU and recovering, but could be paralyzed from their injuries, according to Baker Police. Detectives have spoken with the victim and have multiple leads they are pursuing.
Chief Dunn said that one person was detained after attempting to flee the scene. He said that more than one person is involved but did not have an exact number of suspects. Police released the individual after questioning.
Early in last week’s press conference, Chief Dunn said that school resource officers will be at the school to ensure the safety of students and staff on campus. However, summer school will be virtual starting Thursday, June 11, Preston Castille Jr., president and CEO at Helix Community Schools, announced.
“The parents should be worried to send their kids to school right now. I would be worried about sending my kids to school right now. This has happened now twice, and we returned to school again without incident on yesterday, but then there was an incident today. I think there is reason to be worried,” Castille said.
Councilman Anthony Kenney spoke at the conference, as well. “This is a conversation for us to come together and proactively address why is crime happening in our community? If our kids feel unsafe going to school, to summer school, that means we have an at-home problem. That’s not a Baker High School problem, that’s not a City of Baker problem, that’s not a Helix Community Schools problem, that’s an at-home problem. And so we have to make sure we start having those tough conversations in our households to ensure that, as young people, during the summertime, you need to be doing something productive,” Kenney said.
“It’s not about the news headline today, but what we’re going to do tomorrow is the city of Baker to ensure any child who walks the halls in City of Baker, Louisiana, feel safe,” Kenney added later on.
Baker PD is continuing its investigation into the shooting.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Baker Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at (225) 775-6000 ext 7. Individuals who wish to remain anonymous may contact Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867. Tips leading to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward.
After Monday’s shooting, Baker Police said one person was detained in connection to the shots fired but released.
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