“That picture just says it all. That’s not just one or two shots inside a car. This is warzone stuff. This is ridiculous. Right behind Lady of Mercy Catholic Church. This is what people don’t get, right besides State Police headquarters. The crime is everywhere now in Baton Rouge.”
*FROM A HOMEOWNER NEAR THE SHOOTING OF GOVERNMENT ST. ON SUNDAY, JAN. 9TH, 2022*
We were sitting on our back patio having our morning coffee. I was outside watching TV and my husband was on his phone.
I heard what I thought was a long string of fireworks, like nonstop, 20-30. My husband realized what we had just heard and he said, ‘Get in the house.’
I called 911 still not knowing what I had heard, possibly gunshots but apparently others had called 911 as well because the response time from BRPD was phenomenal. By the time I got off the phone with 911, I saw neighbors out in the street, first responders, police cars and paramedics.
To first responders’ credit, I was shocked how quickly they got here and got the victims out of here. Then, BRPD was at the scene very quickly getting information from everyone.
It was scary.
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The shooting happened around 10am starting on Apartment Court Dr. with a vehicle shot multiple times. Officials believe the driver tried to get away as they were getting shot at but could only make it to Government St. One person was found in the back of that vehicle. Another person was found in a home’s carport on S. Carrollton. Both people had been shot and have life-threatening injuries from the shooting.
It’s just everywhere now. It’s like it’s not concentrated in any particular area. Here we are around Goodwood by Lady of Mercy Catholic Church and thank God they were still in mass, having mass. That’s a miracle right there because this apartment complex is right behind the church. It’s a miracle nobody else was shot by getting caught in crossfire because apparently there’s no concern for whoever else may get shot especially when you look at that car. It’s a miracle we weren’t shot on our back patio.
We have our grandchildren here who come to visit us and we’re both asking ourselves now, ‘Is it even safe to live here anymore?’ Your first thought is, ‘I’m getting out of here, but where are you going to go because this is home.’ It’s like you love Baton Rouge, your friends are here, you work here, but what are your options. It’s just really concerning because this is not the place we all grew up in and how we remember Baton Rouge. I don’t know what the answer is.
It’s takes your mind a few seconds to realize that’s not fireworks. Your mind wants you to think it’s fireworks but then I said, ‘I don’t think that was firecrackers.’ When he said, ‘Get in the house,’ I’m thinking in my mind that was an automatic weapon. I was scared to death, I really was. That had to have been an automatic weapon and how do I even know the gunfire is over and I could be shot just sitting right here in my own house. I was very upset. It shook me up and all my neighbors too. We’re all trying to figure out did we just hear what we think we heard? When I heard all the sirens, then I knew.
Disbelief is what goes through my mind that I cannot believe it’s in my backyard. It’s right here. It’s where I live. Just can’t believe you heard what you thought you heard. You were sitting outside when all these shots were fired. I can’t believe I was so close to it sitting outside and it’s a miracle we didn’t get shot. Just disbelief.
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