Lafayette shooting: Two shot dead by gunman at Louisiana movie theatre - as it happened

The gunman, who killed himself, was John Russel Houser

The shooting was at The Grand Theatre cinema in Lafayette (AP)

Two women have been shot dead and several seriously injured after a gunman opened fire at a cinema in Louisiana. Here are the latest updates:

• Gunman named as John Russel Houser

• Tributes paid to two 'wonderful' victims

• Video shows chaotic aftermath of shooting

• The shooter killed himself at the scene

• Actress Amy Schumer said her 'heart is broken'

• A teacher took bullet for friend and raised the alarm'

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Around 100 people were inside the Grand Theatre in Lafayette at the time to watch Trainwreck, a comedy starring Amy Schumer.

A cinema-goer said she thought the noise of gunshots were firecrackers when they first went off at 7.30pm local time.

“We heard a loud pop we thought was a firecracker,” Katie Domingue told the Louisiana Advertiser.

She said she saw “an older white man” standing up and shooting down into the cinema, but not in her direction.

“He wasn't saying anything. I didn't hear anybody screaming either,” she added.

The gunman, 59-year-old John Russel Houser, fired his handgun “numerous times” before killing himself.

Additional reporting by AP