At least 12 people in New Orleans were injured on Sunday when multiple gunmen opened fire on a Mother’s Day parade, police said.
One of the victims was a 10-year-old girl who was grazed by a bullet and is in good condition, police said. Another person sustained an injury as parade members ran from the gun fire.
None of the injuries are expected to be fatal.
Authorities saw three people running away from the scene after the shooting. At least one suspect was described as a man between ages of 18 and 22.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas said there may have been as many as three shooters, and that two different types of weapons were likely used.The victims were marching in what is known as a second line parade, common in New Orleans: A brass band plays while marching in the streets, while a “second line” of people follows the band, celebrating.
Serpas said the parade was just a few blocks long.
“These are unusual circumstances. We have second lines which occur in the city of New Orleans virtually every weekend at this time of the year,” said Serpas. “We had a full complement of police officers. It appears that these 2 or 3 people just for a reason unknown to us, started shooting at towards, or in the crowd. It was over in just a couple seconds.”
Police: 17 wounded at New Orleans Mother's Day parade.
New Orleans police say they are searching for up to three suspects.
NEW ORLEANS — Police said 17 people were wounded in a shooting during a Mother's Day parade Sunday in New Orleans.
Police spokeswoman Remi Braden said in an email that many of the 17 victims were grazed, and most of the wounds weren't life-threatening. No deaths were reported.
Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas told reporters that a 10-year-old girl grazed by a bullet was among those wounded in the shooting. She was in good condition. He said three or four people were in surgery, but he didn't have their conditions.
Serpas said that the procession had been accompanied by officers, who saw two or three suspects run from the scene.
The Times-Picayune reports there were about 200 people at the event when gunfire erupted.
Nobody has been arrested. It's unclear what sparked the gunfire.
Officers were interspersed among the hundreds of marchers, routine for second-line parades — loose processions in which people dance down the street, often following behind a brass band.
