A teenager died and a 4-year-old girl was among the wounded when gunfire broke out along the route of a celebrated New Orleans Mardi Gras parade, police Superintendent Michelle Woodfork said Monday.
\nA 21-year-old man was quickly arrested and two guns were recovered at the scene, where police were already out in force, Woodfork said. After initially jailing the man on a charge of illegally carrying a weapon, police said late Monday that the man faced a charge of second-degree murder.
\nIt was unclear if other arrests were imminent.
\nWoodfork said homicide investigators were seeking more information, including any motive and whether more than one person may have fired shots.
\nCarnival season, which began Jan. 6, is in its final raucous days in New Orleans heading into Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. The largest parades roll in the final days, drawing thousands of spectators along the routes and into the narrow streets outside the French Quarter\u2019s bars and restaurants. A shorthanded New Orleans police force is getting help from other Louisiana law enforcement agencies to help keep the peace.
\nThe Sunday night shooting happened on St. Charles Avenue as the Krewe of Bacchus made it to the halfway point of its five-mile (8-kilometer) route.
\nThe procession of marching bands, dance troupes and 32 elaborate floats draws thousands of locals and tourists each year. Performers and revelers had passed through the city\u2019s historic Garden District and were nearing the Central Business District when gunfire sent panicked onlookers running for cover.
\nWoodfork said the teenager who died was between the ages of 15 and 18, but wasn\u2019t immediately identified. The other four victims included the 4-year-old girl, and three adults \u2014 two men and a woman \u2014 ranging in age from 18 to 24. They were treated and released from a hospital.
\n\u201cThis was an isolated incident,\u201d Woodfork said. She and other city officials noted that the shooting marred what had largely been a peaceful Carnival celebration this year.
\nHowever, sporadic, sometimes fatal violence is a recurring problem during Mardi Gras parades. Woodfork noted previous problems in the area of Sunday\u2019s shooting. Two men died nearby when gunfire broke out during the Muses parade in 2015.<\/p>\n
Apnews<\/p>\n
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