This story has been updated.
At least 19 people were wounded Sunday afternoon in the 1400 block of Frenchmen Street, near the corner of Villere, after shooting broke out at a Mother's Day second-line at 1:47 p.m.
Of the 19 people injured, two were 10-year-old children. Both are in good condition, having suffered graze wounds, according to a statement released by the New Orleans Police Department.
Of the other ten men and seven women injured, most are in good condition with graze wounds, though two are in surgery this morning. No one has been reported killed as a result of the shooting.
Police on the scene identified at least three suspects, including one seen running on Frenchmen Street towards North Claiborne. He was described as an African-American male, approximately 18- to 22-years-old, wearing a white tee-shirt and blue jeans shorts.
The NOPD has released a surveillance video of the incident. In it, a suspect is seen approaching the second line marchers from the sidelines, shooting into the crowd, and retreating as the revelers scatter.:
http://youtu.be/BYwDHfAJhic
Police Superintendent RonalSerpas spoke to the media Sunday afternoon:
The hosts for the event, the Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club, said in a press release:
“Crime and violence in New Orleans is a systemic problem and we strongly believe that safeguarding our cultural heritage helps to address the roots of violence.”
The organization says this is the first and only incident of violence in the club’s seventeen years. Members assert the shooting is not a product of second line culture, nor a result of the parade’s route through the city.
The City’s Crimestoppers program and the Federal Bureau for Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms have increased rewards for information related to the Mother’s Day second line shooting to $10,000. Crimestoppers can be reached at (504) 822-1111
We will update this story as more information becomes available.
