19 Shot at NOLA Mother's Day Parade

No fatalities, three in critical condition
By Ruth Brown,  Newser Staff
Posted May 12, 2013 4:24 PM CDT
Updated May 13, 2013 4:31 AM CDT
12 Shot at NOLA Mother's Day Parade
New Orleans Police investigate the shooting at the intersection of Frenchman Street and N. Villere in New Orleans.   (AP Photo/Doug Parker)

At least 19 people, including two 10-year-old children, were injured when gunmen opened fire on marchers in a Mother's Day parade in New Orleans yesterday, the Times-Picayune reports. No fatalities have been reported, but three victims are in critical condition. Police believe three suspects and at least two different weapons were involved. The suspects—one of whom is described as 18 to 22 years old with short hair, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans—were seen fleeing after the incident and are still at large.

A police spokeswoman says many of the victims, including the two children, were grazed by bullets that ricocheted. "At this point, there are no fatalities, and most of the wounds are not life-threatening," she says. "This is an extremely unusual occurrence, and we're confident that we will make swift arrests." The FBI says it believes the shootings were "street violence," not an act of terrorism, the AP reports. Investigators aren't sure if the gunmen were shooting at random or targeting particular people in the "second line" parade—a New Orleans tradition in which participants walk or dance behind the main band. (More New Orleans stories.)

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