Police in Shreveport, Louisiana, are on the hunt for a lone gunman who shot and injured a man at a hospital. Police are treating the situation as an “active shooting,” and cautioned that the suspect is armed and dangerous.
The suspect, identified by police as 41-year-old Taniel Cole, allegedly shot a man in the leg in the early hours of Wednesday morning, at the St. Mary Medical Center in Shreveport. The victim’s injuries aren’t considered life-threatening, but Cole is now on the loose.
Police circulated a picture of Cole - who they said is “armed and dangerous” - and warned local residents to stay indoors.
Nearby schools have canceled their classes for the day, as cops attempt to track Cole down. The search has thus far focused on the hospital itself, where officers fear Cole may be hiding. Police Sergeant Angie Willhite told local media that the suspect “made threats to kill any law enforcement officer...who tried to stop him.”
Shreveport has a reputation for crime. The city is consistently ranked in the 100 most dangerous places to live in the US, and has a crime rate of nearly 150 percent the national average. Just two days before Wednesday’s shooting, police were called to a homicide in a trailer park. The killer's identity is still unknown.
DETAILS TO FOLLOW