Shooting at Louisiana parade leaves 5 people wounded, including 6-year-old, sheriff says

People run from the scene as law enforcement take four people into custody near the scene of a shooting at the Clinton Mardi Gras Parade in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)

CLINTON, La. — A 6-year-old and four other people were wounded when gunfire erupted during a small-town parade Saturday in Louisiana, sending people in the crowd fleeing for cover, authorities said.

East Feliciana Parish Sheriff Jeff Travis told reporters the shooting happened shortly after the midday start of the Mardi Gras in the Country Parade in Clinton, about 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of Baton Rouge.

Investigators are trying to piece together what happened, why and who was responsible, but those answers weren’t immediately clear even with extra law enforcement on hand at the time to help with the parade, he said. Travis said three people in the area who had firearms were taken into custody but that it wasn’t clear whether they were involved in the shooting.

Gov. Jeff Landry reacted to the shooting in a post on the social platform X, calling it “absolutely horrific and unacceptable” and urging people to pray for the victims.

Details about them and their conditions weren’t immediately released. But Chief Criminal Deputy Bill Cox from the sheriff’s office told The Advocate that everyone was expected to survive.

The sheriff’s office asked for anyone with photos or video of the shooting or nearby areas to share those with investigators.