About 100 people were participating in a Mother's Day Parade in New Orleans when multiple shots rang out at the intersection of Frenchmen and North Villere streets.
Police confirm 12 people were shot (updated to 19 including those grazed by bullets), the youngest of which were 2 10 years olds.
Initial word is that they believe 3 suspects are involved. I'll update as information becomes available.
UPDATE:
Police say there were 200 people at the corner where shots rang out, and 300 to 400 people at the second line in all.
EMS took nine people to University Hospital; eight were suffering from gunshot wounds, while another was injured in a fall while escaping the shooting. Three of those victims who were shot are in critical condition.
They still believe there were 3 suspects involved and are now saying that two guns were used.
UPDATE 2: Thankfully the 10 year old victim's wounds appear to be minor (the number of victims has been updated to 19 and includes 2 - 10 year olds. The condition of the other child has not been reported.) I can only imagine how traumatized the child must be though. 4 others are currently in surgery.
http://abcnews.go.com/...
Serpas told reporters the victims include a 10-year-old who sustained a minor wound . WDSU-TV reports at least four people were in surgery and others had been taken to four area hospitals.
3:24 PM PT: Huffpo is reporting that the total wounded is now at 17 though many of those were grazed by the bullets and did not require hospitalization.
NOPD: 17 wounded at New Orleans parade shooting
UPDATE 4: The number of victims has increased to 19.
The victims include 10 adult men, 7 adult women, a 10-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, police say. At least four people were in surgery mid-afternoon and patients had been taken to four area hospitals.
No suspects were in custody and it was not clear what motivated the shooters. Police are looking for three people in connection with the attack.
"Shots just started ringing out and everyone started running," one eyewitness told WDSU's Rachel Wulff. "Next thing I hear, 10, 15 people got shot."
UPDATE 5: One of our own,.
Kossack Beholderseye was there. From the comments:
I was there (7+ / 0-)
We were there 20 feet from where the shots were, in the parade. There were kids and baby strollers. When the shooting started, people fell down all around me. I just started running to get behind a car. I saw people get run over. Someone knocked over a baby stroller and the baby fell out, so I picked it up so it didn't get trampled and gave it back to the mother. I am so glad my friends and I were OK. Scariest thing I've ever seen.
Pic of us right when the parade was coming down:
http://imgur.com/...
Pic of the parade. As you can see, kids were in it
http://imgur.com/...
by beholderseye on Sun May 12, 2013 at 07:04:00 PM CDT
Thinking of everyone impacted by this shooting.