LAFAYETTE, La (KLFY) — UPDATE, 10 P.M. Family has identified the shooting victim as a 14-year-old girl. We spoke to her uncle Eric Senegal who is asking for prayers as she is on life support.
“She’s just a person that was never disrespectful, never disrespectful, and it’s so sad for that to happen,” Senegal told News 10. “She listens. She listens, and she does what she’s told at school. Always on time.”
The Lafayette Police Department said the North Pierce Street area of Lafayette’s Northside is not one they respond to for violent crimes, especially at four in the afternoon, but when they arrived Thursday, officers immediately initiated first aid.
A young girl had been shot after a gun was pulled in a loud argument, according to their investigation. People on the street say a young boy pulled the trigger.
“It makes me sad, man. I mean this is my people. This is my community. Seeing these young lives lost behind, ya’know, really nothing, it’s hurtful,” said a neighbor who did not want to be identified.
Authorities interviewed multiple eyewitnesses. Police say the suspect escaped, and they have not released the shooter’s description.
“Kids when they get idle time, ya’know, some bad things can happen, and I think that’s what happened today,” explained LPD Public Information Officer Sgt. Wayne Griffin. “Parents always, not just in the Summertime need to keep an eye on their kids and know what’s going on with them.”
With one child critically injured in the hospital and another running from justice, neighbors are praying for both families.
Tracy Portalis, a neighbor, stated, “Mommas crying every day. Every day burying their kids. It should be the other way around. Their kids burying their momma. Put the guns down.”
Another neighbor said he wished kids knew the true value of a life, “Just cause one lost doesn’t mean you don’t lose another. Both families have loss. You don’t win.”
UPDATE, 6 p.m.: The shooting happened after an argument between the suspect and the victim, according to Police Chief Thomas Glover. The suspect fled the scene after shooting the victim.
The victim is listed in critical condition.
ORIGINAL: The Lafayette Police Department is investigating a shooting on N. Pierce St.
The shooting happened in the 1000 block around 4 p.m.
A female juvenile was shot and transported to a local hospital and is in critical condition.
This is an ongoing investigation, and we will continue to update this story as further details are released.
