Two people were killed and 11 more wounded in two shootings about 45 minutes apart at a parade in New Orleans.
The violence erupted during a local “second line,” a lengthy parade featuring a brass band and scores of marchers through a community of on-lookers.
No suspects were immediately identified or arrested, and it remained unclear if the incidents were connected Monday as police asked for help finding the shooters.
“There were a lot of phones being used yesterday,” City Council member Eugene Green said. “There are a lot of people who saw what happened.”
The victims were not publicly identified. All 11 wounded victims were in stable condition, authorities said.
Gunfire first erupted around 3:30 p.m. in the city’s St. Roch neighborhood. Ten people were shot and wounded at that scene, police said.
About 45 minutes later, gunfire erupted again farther down the parade route. In that incident, two people were killed and one person was wounded, cops said.
“The second line is so long that this end of the line isn’t aware of what’s going on here,” New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “If the police shut down that second line … it can create chaos for the rest of the line not knowing what’s going on.”
With News Wire Services
