LAFAYETTE, Louisiana — A gunman opened fire at a movie theater in Lousiana on Thursday night, killing at least two people and injuring at least seven others before shooting himself, officials said. Besides the gunman, one victim was dead on arrival at the hospital. A second victim who was transported from the scene died later, according to officials at a news conference Thursdsay night.
The shooting took place at the Grand Theatre in the city of Lafayette, said Clay Henry, vice president of operations for Acadian Ambulance.
Henry said emergency workers got the call to go to the theater about 7:30 p.m.
Police said in a news conference they know the identify of the 58-year-0ld gunman, a white male, but will not release it until the investigation is further along.
The Daily Advertiser quoted City Marshal Brian Pope as saying that the shooter turned the gun on himself after firing at the others.
The shooting happened about 20 minutes into a 7 p.m. showing of the movie "Train Wreck," according to the newspaper, which quoted theatergoer Katie Domingue.
"We heard a loud pop we thought was a firecracker," Domingue told the newspaper. Domingue said she saw "an older white man" standing up and shooting down into the theater, but not in her direction.
"He wasn't saying anything. I didn't hear anybody screaming either," Domingue said.
Domingue told the newspaper she heard about six shots before she and her fiance ran to the nearest exist, leaving behind her shoes and purse.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.