1 Dead, 4 Injured At Mardi Gras Parade Shooting

One person is dead and four others injured after shots rang out Sunday at a Mardi Gras Parade in Louisiana.

At least a dozen shots were fired as the Krewe of Bacchus parade was coming to a close around 9:30 p.m. near St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, eyewitnesses told WWLTV.

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

A total of five victims were injured by the shots, including a young girl, and were transported to a local hospital where one victim later died, the outlet stated.

#BREAKING @NOPDNews have a perimeter set up at St. Charles and Terpsichore St.

Bacchus has come to a stop.

First responders are currently attending to a female on the ground. pic.twitter.com/1pKLtrLXyC

— Jonah Gilmore (@JonahMGilmore) February 20, 2023

The cause of the shooting is still being investigated, though eyewitnesses told the outlet there were a few “skirmishes” in the area just before the shooting. (RELATED: At Least 6 Dead After Shooting At July 4 Parade In Illinois)

“We don’t know what happened prior to that, but we did hear gunshots and our officers responded as well as other agencies very quickly. And we were able to find two weapons on scene and also apprehend what we believe to be the shooter,” New Orleans Police Department Deputy Chief Hans Ganthier told WWLTV.

“Whether he’s the sole shooter or not, we will determine through investigation,” Ganthier said, according to CNN.

The parade was temporarily halted after the shooting, but was allowed to resume so that the parade floats could “get out of the way” of the crime scene, police told WWLTV.

“This is really not something we wanted to see. We really wanted this to be a safe Mardi Gras and we’ll continue to work towards that end. However, we really, really want to get the public’s help and if there were other individuals involved, please call Crime Stoppers,” Ganthier said, according to CNN.