‘She was a light’: Teen killed at high school graduation party, reports say
LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC/Gray News) - A 16-year-old girl in Louisiana was killed at a high school graduation party, according to reports.
Lake Charles Police said the shooting happened on Tuesday after midnight. Police said dozens of people between 16 and 22 were at the home, which had been rented for the gathering.
The victim was identified as 16-year-old McKenzie Rideau.
McKenzie was a volleyball player and flag line member with a “radiant smile and kind heart,” Lake Charles College Prep Principal Dr. Freddie Harrison said in a statement.
KPLC spoke to neighbors, who said the house where the shooting happened is a short-term rental that they believed was being used to host a high school graduation party. They said they heard 30 to 50 gunshots around midnight.
“It was just disturbing because my elderly mom lives here with me and hearing the ricochet of the bullet, I had to get up and check on her to make sure nothing came into the house,” a KPLC viewer said.
Police said investigators continue to interview witnesses. At last word, no arrests have been made.
LD asks anyone with information about the shooting to call them at 337-491-1311 or submit an anonymous tip HERE.
The family of Rideau has set up a GoFundMe to help during this difficult time.
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