Three Louisiana Technical College students died at about 8:30 a.m. Friday in what police say appears to be a double murder and suicide.
Baton Rouge Police Department Chief Jeff LeDuff said one woman shot two others before shooting herself. Police said the shooter entered an anatomy class of about 20, shot two women sitting at their desks and then killed herself.
BRPD Sgt. Don Kelly identified the two victims as Karsheika Graves, 21, and Taneshia Butler, 26, both of Baton Rouge.
Police have not yet identified the shooter.
Kelly said police are unsure of the motive behind the crime. He said there is no evidence of any altercation immediately preceding the shooting.
Kelly said the shooter entered the classroom, spoke with the teacher and left. She then re-entered through a back door, shot the two victims, reloaded the gun and shot herself.
Kelly said the gun used was a .357-caliber revolver.
All students who are not part of the investigation were released at about 11 a.m. All remaining students were released throughout the afternoon.
“This is a sad day for Baton Rouge,” LeDuff said.
Jim Henderson, senior vice president for Career and Technical Education at Louisiana Technical College, said the campus employs two unarmed security guards while classes are in session. Henderson said the college recently installed an intercom system that helped in the campus’ response to the shootings.
Henderson said he has not yet spoken with any faculty about whether there were warning signs of the shootings.
Henderson said the campus, located on North Acadian Thruway East, has about 800 students, most of whom are local.
Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden, state Sen. Yvonne Dorsey and state Rep. Regina Barrow visited the college in response to the incident.
These shootings occurred about three miles From Baton Rouge Community College where former President Bill Clinton spoke Friday afternoon. It also comes less than two months after the December double homicide on LSU’s campus.
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected].