19 people wounded in a shooting at a Mother's Day parade in New Orleans

Bystanders rushed to help those injured in the shooting



BBC - Nineteen people have been wounded in a shooting at a Mother's Day parade in the US city of New Orleans, police say.

The victims included two children who were grazed by bullets. Police say most injuries are not life-threatening,


It is unclear what sparked the shooting in the city's 7th Ward on Sunday afternoon. Police say three suspects were seen fleeing the area.


The incident happened at about 14:00 (19:00 GMT) at the intersection of Frenchmen and Villere streets.


"Shots were fired with different guns," a police statement said.


"Immediately after the shooting our officers saw three suspects running from the scene."






The statement said 10 men, seven women, a 10-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were wounded by gunfire.


The shooting happened at what is known as a second-line parade - an impromptu community procession in which people dance down the street behind the official parade.


About 200 people were in the area at the time.


"It appears that these two or three people, just for a reason unknown to us, started shooting at, towards, or in the crowd," Police Supt Ronal Serpas told reporters earlier.


"It was over in just a couple of seconds."


The BBC's Jane Little in Washington says New Orleans has a high rate of gun crime.


The area where the shooting happened is a poor neighbourhood that is still recovering from the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, she adds.