Five people were shot at a Mardi Gras parade Sunday night and one died, New Orleans police said. One person was detained at the scene in connection with the gunfire.
Police said it happened along the route of the Krewe of Bacchus parade.
They said officers on patrol at the parade heard shots ring out and found five victims when they got to the scene — three males and two females. One was a juvenile, police said.
They were taken to a hospital and one of the male victims was pronounced dead.
The others were said to be in stable condition.
NOPD Chief Deputy Superintendent Hans Ganthier told local press officers “were quickly able to apprehend the suspect we believe responsible for this” and that two guns were recovered.
“This is really not something we wanted to see,” said Ganthier. “We really wanted this to be a safe Mardi Gras.”
The parade was temporarily held up but then allowed to continue, WWL reported.
An eyewitness told WWL there were at least a dozen shots and people were falling all over themselves trying to get out of the way, leaving everything they had behind them.
The eyewitness said there were several skirmishes that officers broke up before the shooting in the vicinity of where the gunfire happened.
Journalist Jonah Gilmore spoke to another eyewitness:
Floats are now starting to move along the route. The incident happened as float 22 was passing the area.
— Jonah Gilmore (@JonahMGilmore) February 20, 2023
22, 23 and 24 have now rode through the intersection where the incident happened. pic.twitter.com/2RurxOOGw4
Twitter user @SoThatHappnd posted a video of the aftermath:
St. Charles and Terpsichore #Bacchus shooting pic.twitter.com/d9TFaiNW2T
— So that happened… (@SoThatHappnd) February 20, 2023
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