BATON ROUGE — A violent stretch of days across Baton Rouge has left multiple people dead and several others injured, raising alarm among community leaders after what had been a relatively quiet start to the new year.

Police are investigating a series of separate shootings spanning several neighborhoods, occurring from Thursday through Sunday.

In just the last four days, six people were killed and seven others injured, according to law enforcement.

Community leaders say the streak of violence so early in the year is deeply concerning.

Baton Rouge Police say overall crime was down in 2025, a statistic city leaders had pointed to as progress after years of concern. But advocates now warn that momentum may be slipping.

“We saw a decline last year in our crime rates, and just for the beginning of the year to be so high, it’s extremely alarming,” said Tia Fields with the NAACP.

Among those killed over the weekend was E’myrie Walker, a student at East Baton Rouge Parish’s Northdale Academy. Advocates say her death is especially painful because she was actively involved in efforts to combat gun violence.

“She’s actually an advocate for gun violence, recently traveled with Cities United and Someone Always Cares Foundation to continue learning tactics to fight the crime that’s going on in the community,” Tia Fields with the NAACP said. “So it is a severe loss.”

School leaders described the shooting as senseless, saying the impact is being felt far beyond Walker’s family.

Fields says the timing of the violence is especially troubling.

“It’s the 12th day, 11th day of the year, and we’re already seeing spikes in gun violence,” she said.

She adds that organizations are working to prevent retaliation and push for long-term solutions.

“We’ve had talks with our legislators and elected officials about how all these guns are getting on the street, who they belong to, where they’re coming from, and looking at other ways of intervention,” Fields said.

Police say the incidents from Saturday and Sunday remain under investigation. No suspects or motives have been released as of Sunday night.