“Everyone took cover”: 1 killed, 4 more injured at the Bacchus parade in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS. One person was killed and four others injured when a gunman opened fire Sunday near the St. Charles Avenue carnival parade in New Orleans.

Creve Bacchus was coming to an end when shots rang out near St. Charles Avenue and Terpsichore Street. New Orleans police say the shooting took place around 9:30 p.m. in front of a Hoshun restaurant, just steps away from where a large crowd had lined the street enjoying the Mardi Gras celebration.

A young girl, a woman and three men were injured in the shooting. All five victims were taken to the hospital, where one of the men later died.

“We don’t know what happened before, but we heard gunshots and our officers, as well as other agencies, reacted very quickly. And we were able to find two weapons at the scene, as well as apprehend who we think is the shooter. This was stated by the deputy head of the NOPD Hans Gantier.

An eyewitness told WWL-TV that at least a dozen shots were fired and that people were falling backwards trying to get out of the way, throwing everything they had. According to him, before the shooting in the same area where the police dispersed, there was a series of skirmishes.

“Everyone ran. Everyone took cover. My whole family ducked. I kind of just hovered over my family like little kids,” said Andrew Crawford.

The Bacchus parade was temporarily halted at the 1500 block of St. Charles Avenue following the shooting. The officer said the parade would resume to “get out of the way” from the crime scene, but they would not drop anything in the area.

“This is not what we wanted to see. We really wanted to be a safe Mardi Gras and we are continuing to work towards that,” Gantier said.

The police department could not say whether the man they detained was the only shooter on the parade route. The shooting remains under investigation.

The NOPD is asking anyone with information about the shooting to call the Greater New Orleans Crime Squad at 504-822-1111.

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