Police arrested the woman, Lakenya Hall, 35, of Kenner, because she instigated the fight by taking over the group of boys, which included her own 11- and 15-year-old sons, said Lt. Brian McGregor, spokesman for the Kenner Police Department.
The injured teen was taken to nearby Ochsner Medical Center in Kenner where he is expected to recover.
The shooting occurred just after 5 p.m. Wednesday in the 3500 block of West Louisiana State Drive in Kenner. Police learned that the teens had been involved in an earlier fight at a bus stop, McGregor said. Authorities aren’t sure what the teens were fighting about.
Afterwards, Hall, of 225 Clemson Place, drove six juveniles about a mile and a half away from their Lincoln Manor neighborhood to West Louisiana State Drive to continue the brawl, McGregor said.
At some point, a 15-year-old boy being confronted by Hall’s group pulled out a .22-caliber pistol that had been stored in a backpack and began chasing them, McGregor said. He opened fire, hitting the 14-year-old boy.
Police arrested the 15-year-old boy and booked him with aggravated battery, illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, illegal use of weapons and disturbing the peace by fighting, McGregor said.
Officers arrested Hall and booked her with disturbing the peace by fighting and six counts of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles.
“Just because you’ve been in a fight, it doesn’t give you the right to go over there and start a whole new fight,” McGregor said. “She’s instigating something by taking the group over there in the first place.”
Police also arrested Hall’s two sons and booked them with disturbing the peace by fighting. Investigators expect more arrests to come as they identify the other teens who were present at the time of the fight and shooting, McGregor said.