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"This is not how I want her to remember her 12th birthday party"

“There were a lot of kids injured ... Even if they weren’t physically injured, they’re going to be traumatized for the rest of their life.”

LAPLACE, La. — Chilling cellphone video, obtained by WWL-TV shows a chaotic scene as two young men open fire at a 12-year-old girl’s birthday party. You can hear party guests screaming as they scrambled to get out of the line of fire. 

The shooting happened Saturday night in the garage of a home in the 600 block of Golfview Drive in LaPlace. 

The birthday girl was not injured. Her mother, who did not want to be identified, described the shooting. 

“I was in there,” she said. “I was in there with them. As soon as I walk in the kitchen, pop, pop, pop, pop. This (bleep) is crazy.” 

The mother says her daughter feels like the shooting is her fault because she wanted a party.  

“She just wanted to have one more party here in Louisiana and have fun with her friends before she moved to Atlanta and create more memories and this is not how I want her to remember her 12th birthday party,” the mother said. 

St. John Parish investigators discovered nine juveniles were injured. Of the nine, seven were treated at a local hospital and released. Two remain in the hospital in stable condition. 

According to the sheriff’s office, those injured were a 17-year-old male shot in the arm; a 16-year-old male grazed in the ribs; a 15-year-old male with a graze wound to the ankle; a 15-year-old male shot in the foot; a 14-year-old male shot in the leg; a 13-year-old male shot in the leg; and a 12-year-old shot in both legs. 

A 16-year-old male shot in the stomach and a 14-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the head remain in the hospital. 

St. John Sheriff Mike Tregre says two young men with an ongoing feud met up at the party. 

“There was a confrontation that turned verbal, somewhat turned physical, one party a weapon and started shooting and the other party pulled a weapon and started shooting,” Tregre said. “So, you’ve got gunfire going both ways.” 

The girl’s mother says neither her nor her daughter knew the shooters. 

She believes they were uninvited guests at the birthday party. 

“There were a lot of kids injured,” she said. “Even if they weren’t physically injured, they’re going to be traumatized for the rest of their life.”  

Sheriff Tregre says 50-to-100 people were at the party and a lot of people saw what happened. He’s asking witnesses to come forward and talk to investigators to help solve this crime. 

“This cannot go unchecked,” Tregre said. “Somebody has to face the consequences with pulling out guns at a birthday party for a little kid.” 

The mother says her daughter and her party guests are traumatized by the shooting. 

“It’s not even at a birthday party, it’s my house, at my child’s party. That makes a difference. You don’t want to know what I think.” 

Anyone with information about this shooting is encouraged to call the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s office tips line at 985-359-tips or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.

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