Louisiana
La. Tech professor from Clnton receives award
V. Elaine Thompson, associate professor of history and undergraduate coordinator for the School of Human Inquiry at Louisiana Tech University, has received the Garnie W. McGinty Lifetime Meritorious Service Award from the Louisiana Historical Association.
The prize honors Garnie McGinty, a longtime professor of history at Louisiana Tech University, and is the organization’s highest honor. The honor is awarded annually to those who have made significant contributions to scholarship in Louisiana history, to the historical profession in Louisiana or to the association.
Samuel Shepherd, professor emeritus at Centenary College of Louisiana, praised Thompson’s lifelong dedication in his nomination of her for the award.
“Louisiana history has radiated through Dr. Thompson’s entire life,” Shepherd said. “Her passion about the state’s past has been matched by her extensive knowledge and deep understanding of it. She has enriched the minds of students and scholars, as well as the general public, and stimulated them to discover more about Louisiana and its people. She richly deserves her McGinty honor.”
Thompson’s honor completes a trio of distinctions within the Louisiana Historical Association, as she has also served as president and been elected to the Company of Fellows.
“It has been my privilege to serve the members of the LHA, my colleagues, and my students during the past two decades,” Thompson said. “ I’m honored and delighted to be recognized for my efforts, and I look forward to many more years of diligent work in researching, teaching, and promoting Louisiana history. I’m so grateful to the Louisiana Historical Association and to the McGinty Trust for this award.”
Thompson, who grew up in Clinton, has been a member of the Louisiana Tech faculty since 2004.
Louisiana
2 critical, multiple hurt following mass shooting at Mall of Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The Baton Rouge Police Department confirmed two people are in critical condition and multiple others have been hurt following a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana.
The shooting is believed to have happened near the food court.
Paramedics have been called to the scene. They are setting up a triage near JC Penney.
Police are looking for one to two shooters.
Right now, they are clearing out the drive to get in and out of the mall for emergency responders only.
Gov. Jeff Landry released a statement:
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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Louisiana
North Carolina man arrested in Okaloosa County for alleged Louisiana mass shooting plan
DESTIN, Fla. — A North Carolina man allegedly headed to do a mass shooting at a large Louisiana festival was arrested in Okaloosa County Wednesday evening.
Federal authorities contacted the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in regards to the man. The department was told the man would be in the area.
The man’s name has not been shared by authorities.
Deputies found the man at a Destin Hotel. They took him into custody as a “fugitive from justice.”
The man will be extradited to Louisiana to face state charges, deputies say.
Louisiana
Mom whose 3 children were killed in Louisiana mass shooting still has bullet lodged in face — and sometimes thinks kids are alive
The mother of three of the eight children massacred by deranged Army veteran dad Shamar Elkins in Louisiana still has a bullet lodged in her head and is struggling with her memory — sometimes believing her kids are still alive, according to a relative.
Christina Snow, the girlfriend of 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, was shot in the face early Sunday when the former National Guardsman went on a shooting rampage at two nearby homes in Shreveport.
Three of Snow’s children she shared with Elkins — Braylon Snow, 5, Khedarrion Snow, 6, and Sariahh Snow, 11 — were killed in their home.
Elkins fired a bullet through Snow’s nose which is lodged in her head, and doctors aren’t ready to risk surgery, according to her cousin Jamarckus Snow.
The mom is now dealing with heartbreaking memory loss about the fate of her kids.
“One day, she’ll remember they’re dead. I heard yesterday she woke up and was like, ‘I got to get my kids ready for school.’ She’ll lose memory of what happened,” he told NBC News.
“One day, she’ll know, and the next day, she’s thinking her kids is still there.”
Follow the latest updates on the Louisiana father who killed 8 children in Shreveport shooting:
Elkins fatally shot his seven children — the three he shared with Snow and his four daughters with his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh: Jayla Elkins, 3, Shayla Elkins, 5, Kayla Pugh, 6, and Layla Pugh, 7.
He also killed Mar’Kaydon Pugh, 10, the son of his wife’s sister, who was staying at their house.
The vet turned his gun on Pugh and Snow, too, severely wounding both women, who are still in the hospital.
Elkins shot himself in the driveway of his former military mentor as law enforcement closed in.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but Elkins was suffering from mental health issues and was scheduled to appear in court on Monday after Pugh asked him for a divorce.
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