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Mayor of Gonzales asks for heavier patrols after deadly late-night shooting

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GONZALES - The city of Gonzales is gearing up for its 55th annual Jambalaya Festival, that brings in thousands of visitors who may stay out late, which has the mayor concerned.

A teenager was killed, and two juveniles were wounded just after midnight Saturday in the parking lot of a Waffle House. All of the victims were from out of town.

"Regardless of where they are from, it's just a sad situation," mayor Barney Arceneaux said.

He's now calling for a large presence of law enforcement at places like Waffle House during the festival weekend.

"Generally, a place like that, where they are open for 24-hours, people are going to mingle. And that's usually where it starts," Arceneaux said. "We are certainly going to recommend that our police will be in those areas, especially this weekend."

Nearby residents say crowds of young people gather in the restaurant's parking lot late at night on weekends and sources say the shooting stemmed from a confrontation at a dance earlier that night.

Witnesses told WBRZ they saw the security guard fire their gun during the shooting, and they know some of the people are involved are from the area.

Mayor Arceneaux warns bad actors to not bring their violence to his town.

"It's a shame it happened, but some of these folks want to be involved in gangs and seem to want to argue and fight and stop it with gunfire. Like I said, don't come here. Go somewhere else."

The mayor plans to get with the city council on a permanent solution to stop the crowds that gather at the Waffle House.

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