MONROE, La. (KNOE) – A routine lunch stop at Prien Lake Mall turned into a traumatic experience for 15 Ouachita Parish High School students Saturday after a shooting in the parking lot brought the entire mall to a standstill. The students, members of the school band, were in Lake Charles for a festival and stopped at the mall for a break when shots rang out, leaving them trapped inside for more than 30 minutes.

One of the students shared their experience with our sister station KPLC, telling how their decision to take a photo saved them from being outside when the shooting happened.

“Luckily we stopped to take a picture because if we hadn’t we would have been here when it happened,” the student said.

The group was separated during the chaos, but quickly found refuge in nearby shops, taking cover until it was safe to leave.

The students’ parents were notified as word of the shooting spread, leading to anxiety and fear for many. Sandra May, whose daughter and granddaughter were among those at the mall, shared her emotional response.

“I started crying because I didn’t know,” May said. “You hear about active shooters in nearby schools, malls, movie theaters and different places, but it’s different when it’s your child.”

Ouachita High School Principal Charles Wright acknowledged the shock and fear surrounding the incident. While the school’s current safety protocols focus primarily on on-campus emergencies, Wright said he is looking to implement off-campus safety training to prepare for unexpected situations like the one at Prien Lake Mall.

“No doubt this is a learning lesson for everyone as most of our training is geared towards incidents on campus. We’re probably going to look at implementing some types of procedures that we’re going to follow,” Wright said during a phone interview.

Principal Wright said he will present a plan to Ouachita Parish School Board officials for an off-campus safety training in the coming weeks.

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