New Orleans police are searching for two gunmen who opened fire on a Bourbon Street crowd early Sunday morning, injuring nine in the crossfire.
Two of those individuals were listed in critical condition. Police say all of the victims were innocent bystanders and some were tourists visiting New Orleans‘ famed French Quarter.
New Orleans Police Chief Ronal Serpas said at a news conference in the French Quarter that the victims were shot “by two cowardly young men trying to hurt each other.”
“What happened was two young men got angry at each other and shot at each other,” he said.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu pledged a swift response from law enforcement.
“Our No. 1 priority is to keep New Orleans safe,” Landrieu said in a statement. “These kinds of incidents will not go unanswered … I am confident that between video evidence and eyewitness accounts, we will bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Police have yet to determine if the shooting was gang-related. He is calling on residents, businesses, and witnesses who may have video footage, including any from surveillance cameras, to contact police.
Police have also posted several views of the shootout, captured from a surveillance camera above a bar, online to ask for the public’s help in identifying the two shooters.
