Martha Elizabeth Odom is a 17-year-old high school senior at the Ascension Episcopal School. She has been identified as the victim killed in the shooting at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge.
Odom was among three other students from the school who were caught in the crossfire inside the mall’s food court on April 23. She died from her injuries after being shot during the incident.
The school shared a statement saying, “We grieve the loss of one of our seniors, Martha Odom, following yesterday’s off-campus tragedy. We continue to lift in prayer the two students who are healing, as well as the two additional students who were present.”
A student weeks away from graduation
Odom was only a few weeks away from graduating as a senior at Ascension Episcopal School. According to NOLA, Odom was going to the mall with her friends for “senior skip day,” as graduation was only three weeks away.
According to The Sun, Odom intended to attend the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, to study creative writing and English. The 17-year-old had a strong interest in writing and worked as the editor of the student newspaper, where she highlighted other students and covered music, especially Taylor Swift.
Odom was involved in the school community, taking part in concerts, plays, and musicals. In addition to being the soccer team’s captain, she loved Dr. Pepper and taught five and six-year-olds in her dance class.
