During a Mother’s Day parade in New Orleans Sunday afternoon, gun shots injured at least 17 people, according to multiple reports. The parade was passing the 1400 block of Frenchmen Street at around 2 p.m. when the shots were fired.
Police are looking for three suspects, all of whom still are on the loose. One of the suspects was described as an 18- to 22-year-old male with dark skin and short hair, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.
New Orleans Police Department Chief Ronal Serpas announced in a press conference that one of the youngest victims was a nine- or 10-year-old girl who was grazed by a bullet on her side. There were no fatalities during the shooting.
According to USA Today, three of the gunshot victims were in critical condition. Three or four people were in surgery, but police were unable to report of their conditions.
The neighborhood where the shooting occurred was a mixture of low-income and middle-class row houses with some of the houses boarded up.
The victims were marching in a second-line parade, which is a common type of parade in New Orleans where a brass band plays while marching in the streets. While the band is playing, a second line of people follow the band and celebrate.
As of press time, nobody has been arrested yet and it is currently uncertain why the shooting took place.
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