2 Female College Students Fatally Shot In Louisiana

Two Southern University students were killed in a shooting early Sunday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, NBC News reports.

Lashuntae Benton and Annette January, both 19, were unintended targets caught in an exchange of gunfire outside an apartment complex.

The police arrested one suspect, 22-year-old Ernest Bernard Felton, who faces charges of attempted second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon. He allegedly exchanged gunfire with a 24-year-old man who was hospitalized with non-life threatening wounds.

According to NBC, the incident occurred around 2 a.m. during a “social function” at the apartment complex. Witnesses said the shooting started when the unidentified 24-year-old man approached a vehicle. Felton allegedly pulled out a weapon and began firing at the car. Police believe the shooting stemmed from a previous dispute between the two men.

Benton died at the scene, and January died shortly after at a local hospital. Both women were members of Southern’s track and field team.

In the meantime, investigators are waiting for ballistics test results to determine responsibility for the fatal shooting.

SOURCE: NBC News | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Twitter

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