Gunmen in stolen car shot employees outside IHOP; suspects still on the run
BATON ROUGE - A pair of gunmen opened fire on two employees standing outside an IHOP Tuesday, leaving one of the workers dead.
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said the shooting happened along Siegen Lane, near Honore Lane, around noon.
The employees were taking a break outside when the two shooters pulled up in the parking lot of the restaurant. The two masked attackers stepped out of the vehicle and shot both of those employees before fleeing in that same car, according to the sheriff's office.
This is where it appears the incident happened with evidence markings on the ground. There’s also a black hat remaining. This is on the north side of the IHOP. @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/qKU0pBDKQy
— Sydney Kern (@sydneykern) May 25, 2021
First responders found one of those victims at the restaurant. That person died a short while later.
Paramedics found the second victim farther down Siegen Lane, near Airline Highway, after he tried to drive himself to a hospital. That person is expected to survive.
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On Wednesday, the sheriff's office identified the man killed as Courtney Whitfield, 31. Records show Whitfield was a work release inmate. WBRZ has reached out to the Department of Corrections for more details about Whitfield's work release status.
Investigators said the vehicle used in the attack was previously reported stolen in another parish and then abandoned after the shooting. That car was found engulfed in flames on Hidden Ridge Lane, which runs through a neighborhood near the area where the second victim was found.
Click here to see video of the burning car
Authorities initially said the car was stolen from Ascension Parish. Ascension officials later clarified the vehicle was actually stolen in Denham Springs, though it wasn't immediately clear when it was taken.
The sheriff's office said it's still looking for the two men who carried out the shooting.