Martha Elizabeth Odom is a 17-year-old high school senior at the Ascension Episcopal School. She has been identified as the victim killed in the shooting at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge.
Odom was among three other students from the school who were caught in the crossfire inside the mall’s food court on April 23. She died from her injuries after being shot during the incident.
The school shared a statement saying, “We grieve the loss of one of our seniors, Martha Odom, following yesterday’s off-campus tragedy.”
Read more: High school students among victims in Mall of Louisiana shooting; first details emerge
A student weeks away from graduation
Odom was only a few weeks away from graduating as a senior at Ascension Episcopal School. According to NOLA, Odom was going to the mall with her friends for “senior skip day,” as graduation was only three weeks away.
According to The Sun, Odom intended to attend the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, to study creative writing and English. The 17-year-old had a strong interest in writing and worked as the editor of the student newspaper, where she highlighted other students and covered music, especially Taylor Swift.
After being accepted for Ballet Austin’s Summer Intensive program, she expressed her desire in the school newspaper to “make new friends and see some familiar faces while I train in the timeless art of dance.”
Just one week before she passed away, she penned a piece about traveling to New York City with her family and remembering a late-night visit to Raising Cane’s in Times Square.
Odom was involved in the school community, taking part in concerts, plays, and musicals. In addition to being the soccer team’s captain, she loved Dr Pepper and taught five and six-year-olds in her dance class.
“A joyful presence”
Her school community has expressed grief, noting that several of its students were affected by the incident. The school shared an update on the two other seniors who were injured during the gunfire at the mall in a statement.
“We continue to lift in prayer the two students who are healing, as well as the two additional students who were present,” the school wrote.
They further shared their condolences for Odom and wrote, “Ascension Episcopal School carries this cross together— we are holding one another close with an immense amount of faith and love.”
They praised Odom and added, “Her classmates, Ascension faculty, and our Blue Gator families remember Martha as a joyful presence whose kindness and infectious enthusiasm brought light to all who knew her.”
Read more: Argument between two groups sparked Mall of Louisiana mass shooting; police give major update
What happened at the Mall of Louisiana?
The shooting unfolded around early afternoon inside the busy Baton Rouge shopping center. Police said the violence began as a dispute between two groups in the mall’s food court, which escalated into gunfire.
“Unfortunately, innocent victims got caught in the crossfire,” Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse said.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes, with people running for cover and hiding in stores as shots rang out. One bystander recalled seeing “bodies on the ground” amid the panic.
The police chief said at the press conference that one weapon has been found and five persons are presently in custody.
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