The shooter responsible for the double homicide and suicide at Louisiana Technical College’s Baton Rouge campus Feb. 8 recently displayed signs “of paranoia and losing touch with reality,” according to a statement released by the Baton Rouge Police Department Monday afternoon. Taneshia Butler, 26, and Karsheika Graves, 21, were shot and killed in their classroom at about 8:30 a.m. on Friday by their classmate Latina Williams, 23, who then killed herself. “Investigators have found no connections between the suspect and the victims that would help understand why they were killed,” said Baton Rouge Police Department spokes man Sgt. Don Kelly in the statement. The motive behind the shootings “remains unknown and may never be known.” BRPD investigators determined that Williams bought the .357-caliber revolver and a box of ammunition from a pawn shop in New Orleans on Feb. 7, the day before the shootings. According to the statement, Williams had no permanent residence and appears to have been living out of her car. She recently gave away or sold several of her possessions. Although no suicide note has been found, investigators believe she anonymously called a crisis counselor the morning of the shooting indicating her intention to commit suicide. During a memorial service to honor the victims held on LTC’s campus Sunday evening, Helen Pham, a student who was in the classroom at the time of the incident, read a statement on behalf of her peers who were also in the room. “We believe that the shooting was not provoked by either Taneshia or Karsheika and that their proximity determined their fate,” Pham said. Kelly said Williams entered the class of about 20 students, spoke briefly with the professor and then left. Williams then re-entered through a back door, emptied the six rounds of a .357-caliber revolver, killing the two victims as they sat in their desk. Williams then re-loaded at least one round and shot herself in the head. Jennie Williams, mother of Latina Williams, released a statement Saturday through BRPD, condemning her daughter’s actions and sending her condolences to the victims’ families. “In this tragedy, just like you, we have many questions but no answers,” Jennie Williams said in the statement. “As Latina’s mother, I will not try to rationalize or make excuses for her action. It was wrong. I will be haunted to the end of my days by what my child has done.” Graves has two daughters – a 20-month-old and a 5-month-old – and a fiance. Butler has a husband and three children, ages 9, 4 and 2. The campus, located on North Acadian Thruway East, has about 800 students, most of whom are local.
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]