Gov. Jeff Landry on Thursday ordered U.S. and Louisiana flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Martha Elizabeth Odom, the Lafayette teenager who was killed in a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge last month.
In an executive order signed on Thursday, Landry said the state mourns alongside Odom's family and described her death as "an act of senseless violence." Flags at the State Capitol and all state buildings will remain at half-staff from sunrise to sunset today.
Landry's order said Odom's death serves as a reminder of the need for "unity, resilience, and compassion in the face of unspeakable evil and hatred."
Odom, 17, was a student in the Class of 2026 at Ascension Episcopal School. She was recognized for her achievements in academics, athletics, and the arts. She completed 12 years of classical ballet training and performed 10 times in the Lafayette Ballet Theatre production of "The Nutcracker," according to the executive order.
Landry also highlighted Odom's involvement in school theater productions, varsity soccer, softball and tennis, as well as leadership roles in several student organizations. She served as editor-in-chief of her school newspaper and was selected for Louisiana Girls' State in 2025.
The order said Odom had been accepted to the University of the South, where she planned to study English, creative writing, and rhetoric while minoring in dance.
"She will be remembered as a kind, compassionate, and intelligent young woman of many talents," Landry wrote.
Visitation services for Odom were held today at Martin & Castille Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Lafayette. A private burial at the Lafayette Protestant Cemetery will follow.
