A gunman opened fire inside The Grand Theatre in Lafayette, Louisiana on Thursday night, killing two victims and leaving seven injured during a screening of the Amy Schumer comedy Trainwreck.
Police have confirmed that the third fatality was the shooter himself, who committed suicide shortly after the incident.
Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft said in a press conference that the culprit was a 58-year old “lone, white male” who was among the 100-plus audience members on hand for the film.
He started shooting approximately 20 minutes after it began.
There is no known motive for his actions; authorities believe the shootings to have been a random, heinous act; and the unidentified man used a handgun.
"My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana," Amy Schumer Tweeted upon learning the news.
On his way to Lafayette, Governor Bobby Jindal asked citizens to “please say a prayer for the victims at Grand Theatre and their families."
This movie theater tragedy took place approximately three years after the Aurora, Colorado shootings during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises, which left 12 people deceased and 70 injured in 2012.
Just last week, James Holmes was found guilty on various counts of murder for those deaths.