6 people injured after shooting at large scale 'unpermitted' bonfire in Louisiana: Police
Six people suffered injuries following a shooting at a large "unpermitted" bonfire event in Louisiana over the weekend, authorities said.
According to Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker, the shooting occurred on Saturday night at the gathering held in Dubberly, coined “#BigBlessed Littest (sic) Bonfire Pt. 3.”
Deputies were called to the scene just before midnight and discovered the large crowd at the event, which was described as having a DJ, free food and drinks and live performances.
"When deputies arrived, they learned most of those who had been shot had already been removed from the scene by private individuals," the sheriff's office said. "And, the sheriff said, the party was still in progress despite the gunshots."
The agency noted that if first responders and emergency vehicles had been needed, they would have had difficulty getting into the event due to the amount of traffic.
Some victims are in critical condition, officials say
Out of the six unidentified victims, two were in critical condition, the sheriff's office said Sunday. An investigation is underway, and the sheriff is anticipating it to take long because they have to interview many attendees.
The agency said it was not notified about the event and found out about it that night from a social media post. They are probing how the event was planned and executed.
“We want to maintain order in the parish, and we have ordinances in place to help prevent these things from happening,” Parker said. “We don’t know the reasons for the shootings yet, but this is what can happen when you have a combination of large uncontrolled crowds, music, and alcohol plus little or no security.”
Dubberly is a village located in Webster Parish, which is approximately 40 miles from Shreveport.
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for Paste BN. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.