LAPLACE — The three females shot Saturday night at a local graduation party were caught in the crossfire of an argument they were not the instigators of, authorities said.

St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre said Tuesday afternoon detectives are having some difficulty piecing together the circumstances that led to the violent encounter due to a lack of witness cooperation.

“They are giving some names, but nobody has come forward to the point of saying, ‘this person shot this weapon’ or ‘this person did this.’ We’re getting what they heard or ‘I can’t identify anybody’ or ‘I didn’t really see anything.’”

The case began when Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the LaPlace VFW Hall on West Fifth Street at 11:32 p.m. Saturday after multiple victims were reported shot.

Tregre described the gathering as a local high school graduation party attended by approximately 200 people.

Three victims — all females, ages 22, 21, and 15 — were struck by gunfire and hospitalized.

Tregre said the victims were caught in a crossfire and not the intended targets, adding a fight had begun, which led to the shooting.

On Sunday, authorities reported two victims were in guarded condition after surgery and a third victim was being held for observation.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is encouraged to call the St. John Sheriff’s Office TIPS line at 985-359-TIPS or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111. Those who call Crimestoppers do not have to testify and may qualify for a cash reward. Tips can be submitted online stjohnsheriff.org/submitatip.php.