A shooting inside a Metairie gun shop and shooting range killed two individuals on Saturday. The attack caused customers and employees to fire back at the gunman, who also was killed, officials said.
The shooting took place about 2:50 p.m. at the Jefferson Gun Outlet, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said the gunman initially attacked two people within the store. A number of other individuals, who were thought to be either employees or shoppers, then fired back, both within and outside the building. Subsequently, a man was spotted behind police tape outside the store, yelling, “Where is my son?”
The Jefferson Gun Outlet has firearms and ammunition for sale at the front of the building, which is on a main road in Jefferson Parish. The gun range, where customers usually go to fire, is reached through a side door. Employees usually are armed while working.
Lopinto confirmed that two other individuals were injured during the incident and are currently in stable condition. He added that there were multiple shooters involved, but details of the situation remain unclear.
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“We’re trying to piece everything together,” Sheriff Lopinto said in a brief statement to the press.
At this time, the identities of the deceased and injured individuals have not been released.
Tyrone Russell and Wanetta Joseph, two students in the store’s conceal-and-carry class, reported hearing what they thought was a series of quick shots fired. They said the noise was far more audible than the muffled sounds of the shooting range.
“We heard the screams and the gunfire,” Russell said. “When police got there, they took us out. I could see glass everywhere… it was just really scary.”
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Joseph, who was under a table with other students, described the sound as “extremely loud, like a bomb,” and they did not know if there were more than one shooter. One teacher remained with the students, but two others exited the room and moved in the direction of the sound of the gunfire.
Russell said that when he was taken outside, he noticed a man “laid out” in the parking lot, close to his own vehicle, which had been shot up with bullets. He also noticed broken glass and bullet shells within the store.
Police and emergency personnel arrived on the scene, and the area around the store was blocked off with caution tape. A nearby Taco Bell was evacuated as well.
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Authorities remained on the scene and continued to probe the accident as darkness descended.
Metairie is some 5 miles west of New Orleans’ French Quarter and lies within Jefferson Parish.
