Nikeal Franklin and Jy’Shaun Jackson: 19-year-olds arrested for Louisiana nightclub shooting that left 12 injured
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA: Two 19-year-olds have been arrested by police in the capital city of Louisiana in connection with the January nightclub shooting that left 12 injured. Nikeal Franklin and Jy'Shaun Jackson, both 19 years old, were arrested on Friday, February 10, according to the Baton Rouge Police Department. Franklin was accused of 12 counts of attempted first-degree murder, while Jackson was accused of 12 counts of principal to attempted first-degree murder.
The Dior Bar & Lounge in Baton Rouge heard gunfire at approximately 1.30 am on January 22. There were 12 injured victims, and most of them had minor wounds. Three of the victims' conditions later improved after being initially labeled as serious.
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'Investigation still ongoing'
The nightclub had previously promoted a celebration with a Southern University and Louisiana State University theme to celebrate the start of the two universities' new semesters before the incident. According to representatives of LSU and Southern University, neither institution was involved with the event that took place that evening at the Baton Rouge club. The police did not provide any other information beyond announcing the arrests in a social media post on Friday, saying the investigation was still underway, reports New York Post.
'Targeted attack'
Police believe that a total of four men were involved in the shooting at Dior Bar and Lounge, according to arrest documents. Two of them were the shooters themselves, while the other two were helpers. According to arrest records, surveillance footage clearly shows all four individuals walking into the club. Two of the men depart before returning to the terrace and allegedly hiding weapons beneath the club's fence. At that point, the two shooters are said to have started firing toward the stage in what the police are describing as a "targeted attack," reports WAFB.
According to arrest papers, authorities were able to compare CCTV footage with the two men's Instagram accounts. The firearms used in this shooting were also allegedly used in a prior shooting in St James Parish, according to information obtained by the police. The arrests, according to the police, followed the execution of many search warrants on Friday, February 10 by detectives from the BRPD and the St James Parish Sheriff's Department. The police said there are still two suspects on the loose.