Shooting on New Orleans' Bourbon Street injures 9 people, 2 critically
VIDEO New Orleans police said nine people were injured in a shooting early Sunday morning on Bourbon Street.
Lauren Raab
Nine people were injured, two critically, in a shooting in New Orleans' French Quarter early Sunday, police said.
The 2:45 a.m. shooting in the 700 block of the celebrated Bourbon Street stemmed from an armed conflict between two men, Police Supt. Ronal W. Serpas said in a midday briefing. "This is two young men, both armed with firearms, who chose to settle a dispute between themselves without care for anyone else," he said.
"We have reason to believe they did exchange gunfire," Serpas said. He said he did not know whether the shooting was gang related.
Serpas urged anyone with knowledge of what happened to contact police and requested that business owners submit surveillance footage. "Somebody knows who did this," he said. "Somebody’s mama knows who did this."
"Just turned around and he started shooting at the crowd. He seemed pissed off at some dude, pulled the gun out and started shooting at the guy then turned around on the crowd and started shooting at us," the witness, whose name was not provided, told CBS affiliate WWL-TV.
Police spokesman Frank Robertson says the incident happened early Sunday. Seven people were hospitalized in stable condition, and a female was listed in critical condition. Another victim's condition was not available.
"These kinds of incidents will not go unanswered," Mayor Mitch Landrieu said ..
Our number one priority is to keep #nola safe. These kinds of incidents will not go unanswered.
Bourbon Street is New Orleans' most famous street, a nightly swirl of bright neon and happy tourists with beverage in hand. A blend of jazz joints, strip clubs, bars and restaurants, the French Quarter's Bourbon Street has everything from four-star dining to sex shows.
For more news, follow @raablauren on Twitter.
The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.