Student injured, one suspect detained after shots fired near Baker High School; district moves to virtual learning

A little after 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, police responded to reports of shots fired near Baker High School during summer school, and officers "were able to detain one suspect fleeing the scene and we did have one person that was injured," Chief Dunn said at a news briefing.

Mayor Weights opened the briefing and offered prayers for the injured student, saying "everything is intact at this moment" before turning the update over to Chief Dunn. City officials said the detained person was taken into custody and one person was transported to a hospital; charges had not been decided at the time of the briefing.

School and district officials said the injured person was a student leaving campus and that summer school was in session. A school representative said shots were fired from off campus toward a field and that "the suspects from the video that we were able to obtain did not enter the school grounds." Officials added that police believe more than one person may have been involved but did not provide an exact suspect count.

The district announced it would resume instruction virtually and suspend all practices and extracurricular activities until authorities advise it is safe to return. The school representative said the district will "continue to work with the local authorities and parish and state authorities" and will follow their guidance on when students should return to in-person classes.

Questions at the briefing focused on whether the attack was connected to an incident earlier in the week; officials said the timing makes a connection possible but that investigators are still gathering facts and urged the public not to speculate. Chief Dunn declined to release the injured student's age or grade.

Officials also discussed the school resource officer (SRO) assignment. Chief Dunn said the SRO typically arrives early for athletic practice and "was not at the time of this shooting." He said the SRO's schedule had been adjusted to cover football practice but that on the day in question the officer left when athletes left for another training session.

Joyce Burgess, a member of the city of Baker school board, offered prayers for the student and urged families to be mindful and supportive. Other city and metro representatives emphasized that, while Baker is generally among the safer cities in the area, "isolated incidents" can occur and that community involvement and parental oversight are necessary parts of the response.

Officials urged residents to allow investigators time to gather information — several speakers recommended waiting 24 to 48 hours for more facts — and said they will keep families and the public informed. For now, the district will remain in virtual learning and officials said they will re-evaluate security measures and the timing of any return to campus after consulting with law enforcement.