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The killing of a Louisiana college student who was shot at a red light has prompted the Baton Rouge mayor-president to consider a curfew, as President Donald Trump debates sending federal troops to clean up crime in the state.
Roderick Forkner, a 19-year-old student at Southern University in the state’s capital of Baton Rouge, was gunned down and his passenger was injured when another vehicle pulled up next to their car at a red light and fired on them with a gun early Monday, local outlet WAFB Channel 9 reported.
The attack — which occurred at Government Street and South Foster Drive and was captured on video — has renewed demands to combat crime across the state. Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards has said he may impose a curfew and would welcome the support of federal troops in his city if Trump deploys them.
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Edwards said every option is on the table, although nothing is finalized.
“President Trump has indicated he is considering sending federal troops to Louisiana,” Edwards told Fox News Digital in an email on Thursday. “If he decides to deploy them to Baton Rouge, I welcome that support. Any assistance that protects our residents and aids local law enforcement is appreciated.”
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“Ultimately, no number of troops can replace a community that values every young life,” he added. “We must honor every life lost to gun violence by demanding accountability, fostering hope and ensuring no other parent has to endure this kind of pain.”
The Baton Rouge Police Department (BPRD) has said that violent crime is down citywide, but some residents still report feeling unsafe, according to WAFB Channel 9.
“One life lost to violence is one too many, and that is unacceptable in Baton Rouge,” Edwards told Fox News Digital. “While we have made progress in reducing crime, this tragedy reminds us that statistics do not bring comfort to grieving families.”
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Trump said on Wednesday he is weighing the deployment of federal troops to Louisiana to tackle crime.
“Do we go to Chicago, or do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become quite, you know, quite tough, quite bad,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday. “So we’re going to be going to, maybe Louisiana, and you have New Orleans, which has a crime problem. We will straighten that out in about two weeks. It’ll take us two weeks. Easier than D.C.”
Trump has vowed to broaden his federal crackdown on Democratic-run cities, framing it as necessary to curb crime. Meanwhile, New Orleans Democrats have pushed back on Trump’s suggestion to send troops to the Louisiana city to help fight crime, with one, Democrat City Council President Helena Moreno, accusing him of “scare tactics and politicizing public safety.”
The Baton Rouge Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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