Bay St. Louis residents react to mass shooting that leaves two teens dead

Bay St. Louis, Miss. (WLOX) - In the aftermath of a mass shooting at prom afterparty that injured four and leaves two dead, a South Mississippi community of Bay St. Louis is left in complete devastation and at total loss for words. Residents are now speaking as they continue process the chilling act of gun violence.

Debbie Loner told WLOX she and members of her family live nearby where the shooting occurred.

“They started calling saying there was a shooting in Bay St. Louis and come to find out it’s not very hard from the house they had rented, and you would think that it was a safe area, she says. “I was just shocked at how calming the house was. It wasn’t like it was a crime infested area.”

Loner also says she’s noticed a recent spike in crime lately.

“Everybody’s kind of scared,” says Loner. “We’ve got our cameras; we’ve posted stuff on our property. Crime in general has just kind of gotten out of hand, especially the gun violence.”

She notes how the community was shaken after two Bay St. Louis officers were shot and killed.

“In December, we had the two police officers that were killed,” Loner added. “So, it really hits close to home. There’s been a lot of support in the community. Everybody has kind of banded together.”

Local boutique manager Karen Grumbine moved to Bay St. Louis almost ten years ago from New Orleans to escape crime, so this was a complete shock.

“I was at the gym actually. My trainer told me about it and then when I got home my girlfriend came across the street because her son goes to a lot of the parties out here and knew some of the people,” says Grumbine. “She was really upset because she couldn’t get in touch with him and didn’t know was one of the people involved in it.”

Grumbine deeply sympathizes for people in the community with children.

“I just couldn’t imagine being a parent and having something like this happen or even having children now in this time in school, it’s scary,” Grumbine concluded.

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