Multiple injuries, deaths in Louisiana movie theater

A gunman opened fire inside a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Thursday evening. Reports from the scene and a local hospital said that three people were killed, including the assailant, and a further seven were wounded.

"We think the shooter is deceased, but the situation is contained here to a specific theater. No other persons who were not in that theater were injured," Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft told broadcaster CNN.

In a press conference, local police said the shooter, a man in his 50s, appeared to have died from a self-inflicted wound.

The Advertiser, a local newspaper, reported that the attack occurred about 20 minutes in to the 7 pm showing of the comedy film "Trainwreck."

A witness told the paper that the gunman was an older white man who stood up in the theater and simply began shooting.

"We heard a loud pop we thought was a firecracker," said moviegoer Katie Domingue, adding that "he wasn't saying anything. I didn't hear anybody screaming either." Domingue said she heard about six shots before she and her fiance ran to the nearest exit, abandoning her shoes and her purse.

Another theatergoer told CNN that around 100 people were in the theater when the attack began.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal tweeted that he was leaving for Lafayette immediately:

"Prayers for Lafayette at Grand Theater. Talking to state police colonel about shooting in Lafayette," Jindal wrote in an earlier tweet.

Lafayette is a city of around 120,000 inhabitants 55 miles (90 kilometers) southwest of the state capital Baton Rouge.

es/bw (AP, AFP, Reuters)