FULL PRESS CONFERENCE: One killed, five injured in Louisiana Mall Shooting

[0:00] Good afternoon. [0:25] How good and pleasant is it when God's people live together in unity? [0:30] That was the scripture 17-year-old Martha Odom shared on social media just days ago, [0:38] shortly before she lost her life in yesterday's shooting at the Mall of Louisiana. [0:44] Let me repeat that one more time. [0:45] How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity. [0:52] Martha's powerful words should do just that, unite this community. [0:57] Yesterday, we saw the worst and the best of Baton Rouge. [1:01] Our community was affected by a senseless act of violence that resulted in the loss of a precious 17-year-old [1:08] and the wounding of several others. [1:11] But on our worst day, our heroes showed up with their best. [1:17] Our Baton Rouge police officers and East Baton Rouge sheriff's officers ran into gunfire [1:22] and risked their lives in the process of saving countless others. [1:26] Overall, we saw the very best of our law enforcement officers, first responders, and emergency personnel. [1:35] Within minutes, the full presence of our local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies [1:40] descended on the Mall of Louisiana, quickly securing the scene and escorting people to safety. [1:46] Almost immediately, law enforcement officials were able to begin identifying the suspects using security, camera footage, [1:55] and other investigative tools. [1:58] Within hours, multiple suspects were identified, apprehended, and brought in for questioning. [2:06] Today, we continue to pray for the victims and their families. [2:09] I have reached out to several of the victims and families to offer my prayers and condolences. [2:15] This morning, members of my staff spoke with officials of the Capital Area Human Services, [2:21] which is working to coordinate mental health services among local partners to provide counseling [2:26] and other mental health support for those who are affected by this tragedy. [2:30] Also last night, I spoke to Mayor President Monique Boulay of Lafayette to express my sorrow [2:39] for the young citizens of her city being victims of this senseless crime. [2:43] I want to take this moment to reassure our citizens that we are working with officials of the Mall of Louisiana [2:51] to dedicate the necessary resources to fully protect the patrons of the Mall. [2:56] We cannot let this incident take away from one of the most valuable assets of our community, [3:04] and we'll do what is necessary to protect it. [3:07] Events like this remind us of why it is so important to have a strong law enforcement presence. [3:14] For too many years, our police department was underfunded, understaffed, and underappreciated. [3:22] Just this week, the Metro Council approved the largest pay raise in the history of the Baton Rouge Police Department, [3:29] which will now make them the highest paid in the state and allows us to grow BRPD's ranks. [3:36] It is also important that we invest in our community efforts. [3:40] My Office of Violence Prevention is working with data-driven approaches [3:44] that have worked in cities around the country to reduce violence through education and workforce training, [3:51] particularly with the youth in our community. [3:54] Over time, these programs will lead to good results. [3:57] But today, we are drawing a line in the sand. [4:02] If you're engaged in nefarious activities, gang activities of any kind in Baton Rouge, [4:10] we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will lock you up. [4:15] You will no longer be allowed to terrorize the law-abiding citizens of this city and this parish [4:20] or anyone else in this jurisdiction. [4:22] I have reached out to our state and federal partners who have made direct contact with senior leadership [4:29] at the FBI and the Department of Justice. [4:32] We're asking for any and all help we can get to help us protect the citizens of Baton Rouge, [4:38] eradicate gangs, and any other nefarious people we have in this city. [4:45] I want to ask the citizens one more thing before I turn it over. [4:48] Do not stereotype or pigeonhole or profile all our young people. [4:59] I spent my entire life ministering to young people as a coach and a teacher. [5:06] Ninety-nine percent of our young people in Baton Rouge, whether they're black, white, red, blue, [5:10] Baptist, Catholic, or law-abiding citizens, and they're just out there trying to make it [5:14] and doing the right thing. [5:16] So please, we don't need that judgment. [5:19] We just need your prayers. [5:20] And I want to end with this. [5:23] It doesn't seem like it, but how things are written or things are said or what was done. [5:30] Our officers, the sheriff, BRPD, all our partners, our violent crime, our homicide rate is nearing [5:38] 20 percent down in East Baton Rouge Parish in the last 16 months. [5:42] It just don't feel that way. [5:43] But just one murder is one too many. [5:46] Thank you and God bless. [5:47] Someone asked me outside, what kind of word would you speak or what was the first thing [5:57] that came to your mind, and mine is brokenhearted? [6:00] I think that represents the great citizenry of East Baton Rouge Parish and Baton Rouge [6:05] and all this metro region. [6:07] Anytime we lose someone, our hearts are broken. [6:11] And we're here today not only to speak about what we're going to do, but also to remind our citizens [6:17] that we cannot live under the bondage of brokenness and fear. [6:21] We're here to pray for the families that have lost a dear loved one, and we're here today [6:26] to say we're ready for that to end. [6:29] I think all of us in this room would agree that we're ready for that to end on a permanent [6:33] basis. [6:34] And we're ready and willing to stand together as leaders. [6:38] It's incumbent on leaders to step up in crisis. [6:42] And you see leaders before you today. [6:44] This morning I had an opportunity to make a direct phone call to our good friend, Speaker [6:49] of the House, Mike Johnson. [6:50] And as I spoke with Mike, and of course he was completely heavy-hearted, as you would [6:55] expect him to be, super family man. [6:59] And his pledge for Louisiana is unwavering to make certain that we do whatever is necessary [7:06] to put the full force of the federal government with us and with our leaders. [7:11] So I salute the Speaker as he reminds us of the shooting in Shreveport and now here in Baton [7:17] Rouge that Kash Patel and others in the federal government are ready and willing to work with [7:22] us and to make certain that we do everything that we possibly can to step forward. [7:28] My second phone call was to Mayor Sid Edwards. [7:31] And Mayor, it's always great to work with you. [7:34] Your heart is in the right place. [7:36] I'm thankful we have a mayor that loves our citizenry but yet stands for righteous acts. [7:42] And today we have to say what is evil is evil. [7:46] And what we've experienced and the heaviness you feel in this room today is evil. [7:50] And we have to stand against it. [7:51] And so, as we move forward, we must come together in unity. [7:57] So, Mayor, we're here to support you. [8:00] The mayor asked me if I would then step forward and call our good friend, Governor Jeff Landry. [8:06] And without hesitation, he picked up the phone. [8:09] And as we began to discuss where we are and what we were doing, of course, every time I [8:15] picked up the phone and called the governor, especially on issues like these, his unwavering [8:20] support, what we've seen in the movement in the city of New Orleans is great. [8:25] And we're thankful for that. [8:27] But we need his help right now in the city of Baton Rouge. [8:31] And I'm assuring we're going to get it. [8:33] We are asking for task force participation. [8:36] What he has sent forth before to come again to Baton Rouge to make certain that we have [8:40] the boots on the ground and the necessary leadership to move forward with these that have evil [8:46] daily on their mind, to make certain that we go against gang violence and that we treat [8:52] it as such. [8:53] You know, also, I called Mayor Dustin Yates. [8:58] And Dustin's always, thank you, Mayor, for receiving my phone call. [9:02] And we are unified on this matter. [9:04] How could we not be? [9:05] So, in my final words, I want to say this. [9:09] The days of treating gang activity like a social symptom are over. [9:14] We're now treating this insurgency as it is. [9:17] And we will meet it with the full and unmitigated weight of both the federal and local authority. [9:23] And right now, I hope some of the thugs on our street are watching this press conference. [9:28] And I want to say to them, although they could continue in their ways, I want them to hear [9:37] this, you have no idea of the unity in this room and in this city. [9:43] And right now, you have no idea of what's coming your way. [9:47] Thank you for having me today. [9:49] Thank you. [9:49] Thank you, sir. [9:53] Thank you all for being here. [9:54] I want to especially thank our leadership, Metro Council. [9:58] See you all in the room and many of who came out to the scene yesterday. [10:01] Of course, our mayor and governor. [10:03] Thank you all very much for your support. [10:05] What we saw unfold yesterday was an extremely tragic and senseless act of violence. [10:11] Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and our community as they're [10:17] recovering. [10:18] But what we also saw was how well-equipped your Baton Rouge Police Department and all [10:24] of our partners are to handle incidents on this type of scale. [10:30] The collaboration was seamless and well-executed. [10:34] I have to thank those partners from our Baton Rouge Police Department, the homicide detectives, [10:39] major assaults, special investigations, CIGIC, SWAT, East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, VCU [10:45] detectives, and SWAT, the Louisiana State Police, the St. George Police Department, FBI, [10:51] ATF, HSI, District Attorney Moore, and his investigators, the medical response from the [10:58] St. George Fire Department, Baton Rouge Fire Department, and East Baton Rouge EMS, and [11:04] Arleigh the Lake Hospital, and of course our partners at Crimestoppers. [11:10] At 1.22 yesterday afternoon, shots rang out from the food court area of the mall. [11:17] A BRPD officer assigned to the mall and an East Baton Rouge Sheriff deputy were in the [11:21] area and ran towards the sound of that gunfire without hesitation. [11:27] They were able to quickly secure the scene, begin rendering aid, and calling for assistance. [11:32] The quick actions of our law enforcement and medical professionals surely helped secure [11:37] the scene and save lives. [11:40] Tragically, Martha Elizabeth Odom, 17-year-old female from Lafayette, lost her life in that [11:47] shooting. [11:49] Donnie Guillory, a 43-year-old male, is still in the hospital undergoing surgery and is in [11:55] critical condition. [11:58] Right now, I'm ready to announce the arrest of Markel Lee, pictured behind me. [12:06] Markel is being arrested for first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree [12:15] murder, and illegal use of the weapon. [12:18] Our detectives worked throughout the night with an arrest warrant for Lee's arrest and [12:24] executing a search warrant at his known residence. [12:28] Lee turned himself in to BRPD earlier today. [12:33] We are now asking for the public's continued help in locating another suspect. [12:41] See if I can get that up. [12:42] Suspect pictured here, who we will also release in a press release, is wanted in connection [12:58] to this shooting. [12:59] If you recognize this individual, please contact BRPD or Crime Stoppers at 344-STOP. [13:07] You can remain anonymous. [13:10] We have already received numerous tips since yesterday afternoon, and we continue to ask [13:16] for those tips to come in. [13:17] The other subjects that were reported that were detained yesterday have been released [13:22] for now and are pending further investigation and more information until more arrests can [13:27] be made. [13:29] I want to turn it over to East Boundary Sheriff's Sheriff Sid Gautreaux, whose team was instrumental [13:35] in helping us, and I can't thank him enough. [13:37] Sheriff? [13:38] Thank you, Chief. [13:40] Good evening. [13:44] What I want to address in this news conference is what has already been said, but it was the [13:54] overwhelming, unwavering, and immediate response by all the first responders that he's made. [14:03] I want to begin by recognizing the coordinated efforts of all responding agencies, including [14:09] local, state, and federal partners, as well as the leadership present here today. [14:13] Incidents like this require uniform response, and what we saw was exactly that, agencies [14:20] working together seamlessly in one shared priority, protecting lives and restoring safety. [14:27] At the time of the incident, we had a community of policing deputies who were working nearby. [14:35] Actually, one was working in Dick's Sporting Goods, which was directly across from the food [14:40] market, and that's why us in Baton Rouge City were right there, had deputies and officers [14:46] right there. [14:48] Without hesitation, these officers responding, deputies responding, they immediately moved [14:59] towards the scene and were among the first to arrive. [15:03] We also had a deputy patrolling nearby who responded within moments and joined that initial [15:09] response. [15:09] And I want to say, too, and I've been told this by the ones that responded at first, from [15:16] the very moment that incident took place, it wasn't just all of us being there to stop [15:23] the shooting and help those that have been wounded, but there was actually patrons of that [15:30] mall that was trying to administer first aid at that particular time, and there was also [15:37] mall personnel as well, so a shout-out to them, because they saw what was needed and they [15:43] jumped into action as well. [15:45] In addition, deputies assigned to our Industrial Properties Crime Unit and SCAT Unit, which is [15:52] our street crime unit, were in the area and responded quickly and began assisting with [15:58] securing the scene and supporting operations. [16:01] Deputies from the Guardia Substation and Client Peter Substation were also in the area and responded [16:07] to assist. [16:09] The quick response is also a reflection of how this area is structured. [16:13] While most of the mall property is within the city, the anchor stores and their parking [16:18] lots fall within our jurisdiction, the Sheriff's Office. [16:22] Because of that, we maintain a presence in and around that area, and our deputies were [16:28] in position to respond immediately. [16:30] They did not wait to be called. [16:35] They heard, and they moved towards the danger. [16:39] Within seconds, our personnel were on the ground, entering the area, rendering aid to the victims [16:45] and assisting with evacuations. [16:47] They didn't wait for direction. [16:48] They saw and heard a threat, and they acted. [16:52] That's what first responders do, and that's exactly what this community saw yesterday. [16:56] Our deputies arrived. [16:58] They encountered civilians and male employees, which I already said, who were already rendering [17:03] aid and assistance. [17:05] We are grateful. [17:06] Once again, I'll reiterate it. [17:08] We were grateful for the courage and willingness to step up to help in a critical moment. [17:14] As additional units arrived, East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office deputies helped establish a [17:20] perimeter and began coordinating efforts to secure the scene and protect the public. [17:26] Our response included a wide range of divisions working together in real time. [17:32] That included SWAT, air support, including our helicopter, and I will say that between [17:37] us and the state police, we had constant aircraft up in the air to help secure the area and [17:46] see what was going on in and around the mall. [17:49] We also had our drones. [17:50] We had several drones in the area at that time as well. [17:53] SCAT, gang intelligence and enforcement, homicide, crime scene, uniform patrol, community policing, [18:00] and multiple detective divisions, including property crimes, financial crimes, and others. [18:06] While much of what the public sees is that immediate response, I also want to emphasize [18:12] the work that has taken place behind the scenes. [18:15] Our gang intelligence and our enforcement division has been actively developing information related [18:22] to this case, including gathering intelligence, assisting with surveillance efforts, and supporting [18:28] ongoing investigative work. [18:30] We're doing that with BRPD. [18:34] Our personnel have remained fully engaged in this investigation, including assisting with the [18:41] execution of search warrants and operational efforts led in this case. [18:47] What I can say is that this has been a coordinated, thorough, and ongoing effort involving multiple [18:55] agencies working side by side, and you're going to see that continue until this crime is solved. [19:03] Our deputies were there in seconds, and they stayed engaged every step of the way, and I'm extremely [19:08] proud of the men and women in the sheriff's office and Baton Rouge City and everyone else that was [19:14] there because they all worked together as a team, and I can't emphasize that enough. [19:18] I'm proud of those who already were there and took immediate action. [19:22] I'm equally proud of those who responded, supported, and had continued to work this case [19:27] along around the clock. [19:29] Their professionalism, urgency, and commitment to this community were evident from the very first [19:34] moments of this incident. [19:36] I also want to thank all of the partner agencies who responded and worked alongside us. [19:44] This was not one agency's response. [19:46] This was a unified effort, and that is exactly how public safety should operate and will operate [19:52] in this parish. [19:54] When we work together, we're stronger and better and safer, and we become equipped to protect [20:03] the people that we serve. [20:05] Most importantly, our thoughts remain with the victims and their families and everyone [20:10] impacted by this incident. [20:13] Events like this affect an entire community, and we remain committed to doing everything [20:18] we can to support those affected and ensure accountability. [20:23] Our priority remains the safety of this community and the protection of those we serve. [20:30] Thank you. [20:30] Good evening. [20:40] So no parent should have to take their child away, whether they live here or not, or live [20:45] somewhere else in a black bag. [20:47] I cannot imagine this family picking up their lovely child and bringing them home with due [20:54] respect with a procession, bringing them back to Lafayette, their hometown. [20:58] That must – I just can't imagine the feeling that a parent has to go through with that. [21:05] No parent should bear that. [21:07] No parent in Batou Rouge should bear that from any gun violence. [21:11] This one surely is close because it happened yesterday, and it's close to home. [21:17] It is different than others, but it is still violence, and it's one that we cannot stand for. [21:23] My condolences to that family. [21:26] Prayers go out to the family young man in the wheelchair who suffered some extremely serious injuries. [21:34] He's recovering, having head surgery, probably will have more. [21:38] Can't imagine what he is going through than the others that were affected, and those just all around [21:43] that saw what happened in a mall where you're there to enjoy yourself on a spring day. [21:51] So a few things I want to say. [21:54] You wouldn't believe I have the opportunity to be the DA and to be around these men and women, [22:00] but it's mainly the men and women that are behind your cameras that you're not seeing. [22:04] It's the guys in uniform. [22:06] It's the guys in their coats and ties. [22:07] It's the guys that work their tails off all day, all night, and you never see it. [22:12] And it's from every agency. [22:13] I don't care whether they're local, federal, state, district attorney. [22:18] If you were here yesterday until 2 o'clock in the morning when the search warrants were [22:23] going through, when you saw these men and women working their tails off to try to get [22:28] to justice for these families and for the community, it makes you feel good during an extremely bad [22:34] time. [22:35] And I've had the fortune to see that happen time and time again. [22:39] Baton Rouge is a unique place. [22:41] We have our own problems. [22:42] But I can tell you, as speaking with the governor for an hour earlier today, we have a completely [22:48] different situation than in Orleans. [22:51] Our teams, federal, state, local, you name it, all work together here. [22:56] We do not have any issues that other places have across the country. [23:00] That is not an issue for us. [23:02] And I'm really proud of that effort. [23:06] We have the honor of speaking for a child who lost her life because she can't speak anymore. [23:15] And the district attorney is the one that gets to speak for that child who can't speak. [23:19] I want to caution you, however, these men and women that are working this case, it is very [23:25] difficult, very arduous, and very tough times right now. [23:30] You have to give them time and the ability to work this case. [23:35] It is going to take them a long time. [23:36] Trust me, nobody wants to come forward and say what happened to give information on another [23:44] co-defendant. [23:45] These officers have to work this case from the bottom up. [23:48] They have to work it hard. [23:49] They have to wait for phones. [23:50] They have to work for evidence. [23:51] They have to wait for DNA. [23:53] There's a lot they have to do. [23:54] They do not want to get ahead of their evidence. [23:57] So I'm asking you for their, for patience, for them, for them to be able to do their job. [24:04] And as the DA's office meeting again with the governor today, we spoke about issues in [24:09] Baton Rouge, and that is juvenile issues, truancy issues, education, gang, group involvement, [24:16] and how can we stop that because that is really where all of our violence stems from, from [24:23] the home, from the family, or the lack, the home and the family, from a child not having [24:27] respect easily to take someone else's life because of no fear. [24:32] We have to change a lot of things. [24:34] Is there a way to do so? [24:35] Well, yes, the mayor has started his initiative, but we'll start soon, the group violence initiative. [24:41] If you recall, back in the 80s, sorry, 2000s, 87 to 2000, we had a group violence reduction [24:51] strategy. [24:52] And at those four years, we had the lowest numbers of homicides ever in the city of Baton Rouge. [24:58] We can get back to that by having a unified strategy, and that's what I hope is for. [25:04] And I think that you'll see that happen, again, with the mayor's leadership, and then also with [25:09] the efforts of state police and the federal authorities that we had, as we had last time. [25:14] And to me, that's what our goal should be, leaving here today, is not only continue to [25:19] work on this case to find not only probable cause, but to find proof beyond a reasonable [25:24] holdout, to take care of this situation and make the public safe and let them know that [25:30] they're safe, but also our challenge is to go on forward and to stop this from happening [25:36] in the future as we have suffered enough loss. [25:39] And, Governor, thanks for your pledge and your promise to continue to help our office as [25:45] we struggle through times with economic economics, and we appreciate the effort that you're leading [25:50] in the legislature in that regard, and that means a lot to us, and will mean a lot to these [25:56] cases in the future. [25:57] Thank you very much. [25:59] Well, good afternoon. [26:03] I spoke today with FBI Director Cash Patel, with U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. [26:11] I want to recognize U.S. Attorney Kirk Wall, who is here today from the Middle District, and [26:17] Special Agent Charles Cogger, who is here as well, and of course, all of the agencies that [26:27] have been working on this case. [26:30] You know, yesterday we witnessed a deeply troubling act of violence, and an act that seems to have [26:41] been driven by what we have been plagued with, neighborhood gang disputes that seem to want [26:49] to spill out in our public places, putting innocent people in danger, and taking the life of an [27:00] innocent young lady. [27:02] So I want to be absolutely clear. [27:06] This conduct is not going to be tolerated in this state. [27:11] It is unacceptable. [27:15] And the hard truth that we all need to acknowledge is that these individuals who are either arrested [27:23] or are going to be arrested did not arrive at this moment overnight. [27:29] Many started down this path as juveniles. [27:35] And I'm going to say what many people are afraid to say. [27:41] The beginning of this failure was at home. [27:45] Parents have a responsibility to raise their children, to guide their children, to intervene [27:52] with their children when things go wrong. [27:55] When we find ourselves arresting juveniles for violent crime, somewhere along the way, those [28:04] parents' responsibilities have failed. [28:08] The arrest of that young man is their parents' failure first. [28:13] But that responsibility doesn't just end with their parents. [28:18] Our neighborhoods, our families, and our communities must also no longer turn a blind eye to this [28:26] kind of violence. [28:27] If you allow the kind of criminal behavior that is going on in some of our neighborhoods [28:34] to take root, your neighborhood is no longer safe. [28:40] And you are contributing to that problem as well. [28:44] But I want you to know, to those neighborhood gangs, the consequences of yesterday are going [28:53] to start being felt immediately. [28:55] The second failure, of course, is on the individual who chooses to engage in that conduct, in those [29:06] acts of violence. [29:08] And there is no excuse, none, to bring gang disputes and personal grievances into a common [29:16] public area where innocent people, one was killed and many were injured. [29:23] If you decide you want to do that and commit those acts of violence in this state, we are [29:31] going to hold you accountable. [29:34] We are not going to allow our streets, our schools, and our public spaces to become your [29:40] battleground. [29:43] Those who brought this violence into our public spaces and into the lives of our ordinary citizens, [29:51] innocent people, I want you to know you are now the criminal problem we are focused on. [30:01] You endanger families, children, and people who are simply going about their day. [30:09] And the state of Louisiana, along with our law enforcement partners on both the federal [30:15] and local level, are going to start responding swiftly and decisively. [30:21] Now, I want to talk directly about our judicial system. [30:27] You know, judges hold enormous power, but they are not social workers with a gavel. [30:33] They are the final gatekeepers of public safety. [30:37] And I'm talking about both at the state level and especially in the middle district, at the [30:42] federal level as well. [30:45] People say, we cannot arrest our way out of this problem. [30:49] And they are right. [30:50] But we can sentence our way out of this problem. [30:55] So let me be clear. [30:57] Judges who continuously release violent offenders back on our streets, who fail to use the full [31:04] authority of their office to protect the public, are going to be held accountable. [31:11] When judges refuse to enforce boundaries or consequences, they're not rehabilitating anyone. [31:24] What they're doing is abandoning young people until a tragedy like this becomes inevitable. [31:34] And you know what? [31:34] That's not justice. [31:35] That's negligence. [31:38] That's masquerading around as mercy. [31:42] The people of Louisiana expect judges to uphold the law, to apply serious consequences for serious [31:49] crimes and to prioritize the safety of our citizens above all else. [31:57] If a judge chooses to hand down weak sentences to known violent actors, if a judge decides to [32:05] turn violent offenders loose with minimal restrictions, if a judge fails to treat gang-driven violence [32:12] without the gravity it deserves, I am going to call them out individually, publicly, clearly [32:22] and directly. [32:23] And I mean even the federal judges as well. [32:26] Because when a judge fails to impose the appropriate consequences, that failure should not fall on [32:34] the state. [32:35] It should fall on the judge's shoulders. [32:39] And when they fail to do their job, they put innocent people in danger. [32:46] I'm asking the legislature for a full, while the session is going on, for a full and holistic [32:52] review of our sentencing laws. [32:54] I will support, again, reforms that ensure judges have both the authority and understand the obligation [33:01] to keep dangerous individuals off of our street. [33:06] We are no longer going to accept complicity on our bench. [33:15] Everyone, including judges, will be accountable for public safety. [33:21] And while we're talking about accountability in action, I'm asking that in coordination with [33:31] local, state, and federal partners, including all of our law enforcement components, the National [33:37] Guard, ATF, FBI, USDOJ, I am asking them to prepare for a targeted warrant sweep focused on [33:49] the individuals in the neighborhoods that these individuals came out of or anyone who's connected [33:54] to this incident. [33:56] And I'm hoping that in the coming days, we will be executing warrants on every outstanding [34:05] individual that is tied to this activity. [34:10] Adults who enable juvenile offenders need to face consequences as well. [34:19] And I'm sure we don't have a shortage of outstanding warrants here in Baton Rouge. [34:25] And I am asking them to begin executing them. [34:29] This is not a one-day response. [34:32] I expect this to be a sustained effort to the people of Baton Rouge and every neighborhood [34:42] affected by this kind of violence. [34:45] I want you to know we are drawing the line. [34:51] We are going to protect innocent lives, but we are going to start imposing some consequences. [34:58] And we will not allow neighborhood gangs to terrorize our communities or go into public [35:02] spaces and injure or kill innocent people. [35:07] If you bring your violence into public spaces, you are going to face immediate and direct [35:14] action from law enforcement across every level. [35:19] As you can see, we're unified. [35:21] We are coordinated. [35:22] And we are committed. [35:24] And I want to emphasize that public safety is a team sport. [35:30] It means that the members of our community have to help us as well. [35:34] It's fine to see police officers in uniforms, but you do just as important of a job as they [35:42] do by giving us the information or letting us know about criminal activity so that we [35:48] can stop that activity before it gets to yesterday's tragedy. [35:55] I do not want Louisiana to be defined by lawlessness. [36:02] And quite frankly, I want us to be defined as strength, the strength of our communities [36:10] and by our resolve to protect people. [36:14] Thank you. [36:15] And I'll take any questions that you all may have. [36:17] I guess maybe we should start from left to right. [36:20] Yeah, so we're still early on in the investigation. [36:38] He turned himself in with his attorney and to my knowledge did not really give any statements. [36:43] Everything we got comes from exhaustive investigative efforts by our detectives, which led us to [36:47] be able to draft an arrest warrant, which was signed by a judge to place him under arrest. [36:52] And let me remind everyone, this is an ongoing investigation. [36:55] So a lot of the questions that I'm sure you'd like to ask and get answered will not be able [37:00] to be answered because it is an ongoing investigation. [37:03] The other thing, too, is, and I think Hiller spoke about that, is that these types of investigations [37:09] are not solved, you know, in today's digital world, like a TikTok video, right, or like [37:16] one episode of Law & Order. [37:19] These are very complicated cases. [37:21] And quite frankly, we want our law, we want to give our law enforcement agencies the time [37:27] necessary to put the case together so that the district attorney gets, we do not, [37:33] an arrest is one thing. [37:36] The prosecution is what we're really after, okay? [37:39] And in order to do that, we want them to have the time necessary. [37:43] And I ask for the patients from the media and the public to give them that time so that [37:48] they can put a case good enough for the district attorney to go into court and to hold those [37:53] accountable for their actions. [37:55] Governor, you talked also a lot about judicial reform. [37:59] Do you believe that any judges potentially, the suspects that either the one that turned [38:07] himself in or the ones that are at large? [38:09] Well, here's what I'd say. [38:11] Y'all do a great job of investigating all kind of information and the courthouse is full [38:15] of that, okay? [38:16] On judges. [38:17] In fact, we're dealing with judges in New Orleans right now that just continuously led these [38:22] people back out on the street. [38:24] Listen, what I'm telling you is the continual action of that has led to this case, but yet [38:33] no one is out there holding those judges accountable when they just continue to allow, it would not [38:39] surprise me at the people who are involved in this before it's all over, don't have an [38:44] extremely lengthy rap sheet. [38:47] We probably won't see all of the juvenile misconduct that occurred because we've hidden that from [38:54] the general public. [38:54] It's a debate that we had in the legislature last year. [38:58] Governor, you're talking about judges and wanting to hold them accountable. [39:03] As you know, here in Louisiana, it is against the law to have cameras in courtrooms. [39:08] Do you support that happening, that being changed in order to hold these judges accountable? [39:12] I think there's plenty enough data, okay, in the judge's final decision. [39:18] We don't need to turn our courtrooms into some media live circuit, circus. [39:26] Y'all do y'all job and go to the courthouse. [39:28] You know who those judges are. [39:30] You see these folks working day and night arresting the same people. [39:35] Y'all see the juvenile violence that goes on again and again. [39:39] And yet over the last five years before I became governor or eight years while I was [39:43] attorney general, I watched nothing but hug-a-thug policies in this state. [39:47] A watering down of our criminal justice system, not quite holding those accountable, [39:53] accountable, forgetting the victims rather than focusing on the criminal like the criminal [40:00] was innocent even after proven guilty. [40:03] This is the kind of violence that we end up with when we engage in those kinds of policies. [40:09] And I'm asking the legislature to go back and look at the laws. [40:12] In fact, people that go into common places and decide to engage in that kind of violence, [40:17] we should put them away for life. [40:18] If I'm done with them, it doesn't matter how old they are. [40:23] Somebody has failed. [40:24] It's not the government's job to raise these people. [40:27] It's common sense not to go into a public space with a gun and start shooting around [40:31] blindedly. [40:34] We got a great, we got 18,000 acres that ain't golden. [40:36] If it's up to me, I'd send them all there for the rest of their lives. [40:39] Next. [40:40] Chief, this is a question for the chief. [40:42] Chief, so the governor and state senator Evans are the only ones who have used the word gang [40:47] in this. [40:49] Is, are the suspects, are the people, the guy arrested, are this, is this a gang thing? [40:54] And if so, what gangs are involved? [40:57] So, again, y'all are asking a lot of questions that I'd love to open our playbook and open [41:03] all of our technology and give it to you, but we don't want to do that right now. [41:08] And what I can say is that this definitely probably has some ties to social media beefs, [41:14] maybe gang-related stuff, but we're still at the beginning of this. [41:17] We just arrested him today, and so we're going to keep giving over that information. [41:21] But is it fair to say, because there was a, the mayor came out and said, do not pigeonhole [41:27] or stereotype young people in our city, but the word gang is being used. [41:35] Is that a fair assessment, or are we, are you guys as officials, as leaders of the city [41:41] and the state, are you guys jumping the gun on labeling people who may be or may not be [41:46] connected to this? [41:46] Yeah, so I think talking in general, we've been beating around the topic a lot lately. [41:53] We do have some gangs in Baton Rouge, and those people we're going to be targeting. [41:57] We worked with the district attorney's office last year to sentence people to, and a grand [42:03] jury get indicted for gang activity. [42:06] We're going to continue those efforts for people that label themselves as part of a gang. [42:10] You're on social media boasting that you're part of a gang. [42:13] We're going to come after you. [42:15] It's too early to say what ties this exact shooting happened. [42:18] We know that this was not a random incident. [42:21] We know that this was two groups of people that met up at the mall, exchanged words, [42:25] and then pulled guns. [42:26] And then innocent people were hit. [42:28] Whether or not that was gang-related or not for this incident, we will let you know at [42:32] the appropriate time. [42:33] But in general, in Baton Rouge, what these officials behind me are talking about is true. [42:37] We have people in Baton Rouge that are proud to represent themselves as tied to certain [42:42] gangs, and we are going to specifically target those people. [42:44] So, Chief, at this time, can we say yes or no, whether or not you believe it's gang activity? [42:48] Yes or no? [42:49] I was asking the suspects. [42:53] Yesterday, they were asking, can you give us some more? [43:01] How many people? [43:01] Maybe not an exact number, but some more information to the public so they can call it in and tell [43:07] you guys what's going on? [43:09] So the people that we had detained yesterday were definitely people of interest. [43:12] They were definitely involved in some way or the other. [43:15] They refused to answer questions. [43:17] They lawyered up. [43:18] We didn't have anything else to be able to hold them on. [43:20] As this investigation continues, we work with our federal partners to have those ballistics [43:24] analyzed by DNA. [43:26] We do all the rapid things that they are helping us to get answers quickly. [43:30] We'll be able to give more answers. [43:32] What we do know right now is Mr. Lee was arrested this morning. [43:36] We had an arrest warrant for him. [43:37] He has been arrested for a first-degree murder, an attempted first-degree murder, five counts [43:41] of that. [43:41] And we're also looking for this other suspect that we put a picture out of. [43:45] If we can get his name and his identification, we might be able to start building a case [43:49] against him as well. [43:50] How many guns were used? [43:53] He has an extensive criminal history in the juvenile court system. [44:00] Governor, it's about judges. [44:03] Here's something specific. [44:05] We as media, a lot of us, we've all done our jobs as far as showing which judges keep [44:10] dropping the ball. [44:11] But what can actually be done to them for dropping that ball? [44:15] Well, I can tell you, the people of the state, I believe it was last year, strengthened the [44:21] Judiciary Commission. [44:22] We are hoping to get some new members on the Judiciary Commission by the end of the year. [44:28] It was unfortunate. [44:28] We had one of the members that I appointed, former Supreme Court Justice, Chad Traylor, got [44:35] off because of what he believed was lax investigations by the Judiciary Commission on judges, and one [44:45] pointedly being the one over in Orleans. [44:47] I can tell you that the Supreme Court, and they have started to take action. [44:54] In fact, in the last year, I think they've suspended or taken at least one judge off the [45:00] bench. [45:00] I would continue to support their involvement in this. [45:05] I think it's time. [45:06] I mean, for a long time, judges seem to operate without any oversight. [45:10] And so I would encourage the Supreme Court to continue to watch. [45:14] I mean, we've got judges in Orleans right now where 50 percent of those brought before [45:18] them in a judge trial seem to be acquitted. [45:22] And I don't think that NOPD and Louisiana State Police are that negligent in the cases [45:27] that they bring before these particular judges. [45:31] Look, a lot has been said about what we've done in New Orleans, and right now New Orleans [45:35] is enjoying a 100-year low in its crime. [45:38] And people have said, well, you know, Governor, can we do the same thing in Baton Rouge? [45:43] I would tell you that we can't do the same thing in Baton Rouge as New Orleans because [45:47] they're two different cities. [45:50] But what I can tell you is that we have begun and we're going to accelerate taking some of [45:56] the practices and things that we learned in the city of New Orleans and bringing them [46:03] here to Baton Rouge. [46:03] In fact, I was talking to Colonel Hodges earlier about making sure that we retrofit some [46:08] of our state police vehicles here in Baton Rouge the same way we've retrofitted them [46:14] in New Orleans to deal with street crime and chasing that are going on, either hijacking [46:23] or stealing cars or whatnot. [46:24] But we seem to have been able to do a good job in New Orleans. [46:27] We'll bring that down here as well. [46:29] We intend to be an asset to the Baton Rouge Police Department and the Baton Rouge Sheriff's [46:36] Office. [46:37] We're not here to take over anything. [46:39] We're here to assist them and make sure that any gaps in law enforcement or tools that we [46:44] can bring to bear will bring to bear here in Baton Rouge. [46:47] I know that our federal partners, I can't speak for the U.S. [46:51] attorney, but I know that they have been just excellent, excellent with the FBI and ATF in [46:58] helping us bring federal charges to some of this activity, which seems to abate or change [47:07] the conduct of individuals because when you go to federal prison, you go for a long time. [47:13] It's one of the reasons that we took parole out of the playbook last year. [47:18] And so, again, we're just going to crank down and focus down here in the capital city. [47:24] Governor, do you proceed? [47:25] Hold on. [47:27] Who goes? [47:28] Governor, do you proceed? [47:29] Hold on. [47:29] Go ahead. [47:34] That one second. [47:37] Any more clarity to the errors there were at the... [47:42] So, right now, we have one person in custody. [47:44] It's really early in the investigation. [47:47] Still, we have to give the detectives time. [47:48] We have to give them time to do their job when they're combing through that much evidence [47:52] and surveillance video. [47:54] We've got to give them a chance. [47:55] And we're going to give you those updates as we got it. [47:57] The update we have right now is we have that one person in custody, and we are looking [48:01] and asking for the public's help to identify this second suspect. [48:07] There are still persons of interest, and we might have charges for them at a later time. [48:11] Go ahead. [48:13] It's been a great session right now. [48:23] I'm sure we've got bills that we can look at. [48:26] I'm going to be working with the leadership in the House and the Senate and asking the chairs [48:31] of the respective committees to take a look, especially using yesterday's tragedy as an example [48:39] of where we could be strengthening some laws. [48:41] Again, I think that if you go into a public space and you commit that type of violence, [48:49] maybe the sentencing is not fitting the crime. [48:54] Maybe that will hopefully deter it. [48:56] But I think you have one last question. [48:58] So earlier today, we got a bomb threat called in in Baton Rouge at one of our Jewish synagogues. [49:08] We responded to that, searched the area along with some other partners, Sheriff's Office [49:13] and ATF, our EOD experts and bomb dogs, and found that there was no credible threat. [49:18] Governor, do you perceive the suspect in this case were any of the other potential suspects [49:22] facing federal charges? [49:24] I don't know. [49:25] Look, it's an ongoing investigation. [49:27] I think the chief and everyone has laid it out pretty clear, and I'm sure they're going [49:31] to be giving more information to y'all as they get it updated. [49:34] Okay. [49:35] Okay, thank you.