A shooting at a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans left one person dead and another critically injured on Thursday night, the Associated Press reported.
The shooting occurred after a fight broke out between two people along the route of a Mardi Gras parade. One of them fatally shot the other and wounded a passerby, New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison told reporters. A suspect was in custody on Thursday and a weapon was recovered nearby as well.
"I saw people running in our direction and police in the opposite," Angela Matherne, who was a block away from the shooting, said, adding that she and her family hadn't heard anything.
At about 10 p.m. on Thursday, an unidentified person pulled out a gun and shot two people during the Muses parade, police spokesman Frank Robertson said. Officers stationed nearby responded immediately and barriers were set up around the crime scene, with officers chasing after the suspect and taking him into custody.
One of the victims was involved in a prior fight, but it remained unclear how the other victim was involved, if at all. It was also not clear which one of the victims had been disputing the gunman, Harrison said.
After being rushed to a local hospital in critical condition, a 21-year-old male died from a gunshot wound to the chest while a 22-year-old male remained in the hospital, the department said.
Despite the incident, the popular event, a traditional kickoff to Carnival weekend, reportedly rolled on, according to Reuters. The city will continue to host several parades daily through Mardi Gras, which is Tuesday.
In 2009, seven people were injured during a Mardi Gras Day shooting, including a toddler.
Meanwhile authorities did not release any other details.
