New Orleans shootings: 2 dead, 10 injured during popular Second Line parade

On By Littum



CNN
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Two people were killed and 10 others were wounded in two shootings during a popular New Orleans Second Line parade Sunday, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

“There are two different scenes here. There are two different shooting events. They are 45 minutes apart,” Inspector Anne Kirkpatrick said during a news conference Sunday evening.

Despite some additional police resources at the event, gunfire erupted around 1 p.m. 3.40pm “Apparently a car was involved … and shots were fired into the crowd,” Kirkpatrick said.

Nine people were injured and taken to hospitals. “All these victims are alive,” she said.

Police “know that two guns were used from the ballistics left at the scene,” Kirkpatrick said. No further information about the firearms was released.

“About 45 minutes later, up on the bridge, we had another burst of gunfire,” Kirkpatrick said. Another three people were hit by gunfire, according to the police.

“Because no cars were able to be on that bridge, we know the shooting happened in the crowd,” she said.

Two people were killed in the second shooting and another “is in extremely critical condition,” Kirkpatrick said.

Police say it’s still unclear if the shootings are related because they happened 45 minutes apart.

“We’re sure somebody probably has video, film, something, and we’d like them to call” New Orleans police or Crime Stoppers, Kirkpatrick urged.

She said police “have had a history” with this second line and “added officers to this event knowing it had the potential for violence.”

Second-line parades are community-run, informal processions, often organized by social welfare and pleasure clubs, or as part of a larger public gathering such as a funeral or a party. The term “second line” refers to the people who follow the main brass band procession, the “first line.”

“It’s a wonderful event … and we wanted to keep it a wonderful event,” she said. The event attracts thousands of people, according to police.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Leah Thomeer contributed to this report.