A shooting at a high school back to school party left a Kinder High football player injured, and another juvenile facing attempted second-degree murder charges.
Allen Parish Sheriff Doug Hebert III said his office was contacted about a shooting Friday evening on Old Ferry Road at a camp located on Indian Village Road.
Landon Schmitz, 18, a student at Kinder High was shot by a juvenile. The sheriff said he was listed in critical condition when they brought him to the hospital. He will recover, having surgery to repair his injures. On Tuesday, it was reported he was doing better.
“It’s never good to get a phone call like that,” Kinder football coach Bret Fuselier said. “Of course the first thing you think of is the health of Landon and if there was anyone else involved. But he seems to be doing better now, and we continue to pray for his recovery.”
From reports from Facebook™ and parents, the students were great in working to stop the bleeding and loaded Schmitz into the car and drove to the highway where they met the ambulance.
Reports indicate the bullet went through his stomach and small intestine and out through his back. His doctor said the bullet grazed an artery. If it had hit one millimeter to the left it would have ruptured the artery and the teen would have bled to death.
The sheriff said the juvenile, who attended Kinder for one year a few years ago, was not invited to the party. Apparently the teen showed up at the party. There were approximately 25 to 30 people there, and the juvenile came with some other people and approached another student.
The sheriff’s office said Schmitz apparently stepped in to break up the fight. After firing the gun, the 16-year-old male fled the area.
The juvenile was taken into custody Saturday night at approximately 10 p.m. in the Welsh area. His charges include the attempted second degree murder charge and illegal use of dangerous instrumentalities.
The investigation is ongoing, and deputies are still interviewing students and other witnesses.
Over the weekend, Facebook posts suggested there would be trouble at the school. On Monday morning, members from both the Kinder Police Department and Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office were on the campus. There were no problems.
“The best we can tell is rumors began,” Hebert said. “There’s no evidence of where it started. It turned into nothing.”
Kinder Police Chief Paul Courville also posted on his Facebook page to parents that they were investigating the statements. “Although the statements made will be taken seriously, we found them to have no merit.”
Both law enforcement leaders take these statements seriously. If a parent or student sees or hears a threat like this, they are asked to report it to the sheriff’s department or their local police department.
