A news report is just breaking from New Orleans that 11 people were shot early Sunday morning on Canal Street, near the Central Business District and the French Quarter, at 3:20 a.m. local time.
Two of the victims were in critical condition, according to the New Orleans Police Department.
NBC affiliate WDSU in New Orleans are reporting online live from the scene.
Police initially said 10 people were taken for treatment at local medical facilities. They later added that another person walked into a local hospital seeking treatment.
No arrests have yet been made, and no motive is yet clear, according to the NOPD. Louisiana State Police and federal officials are assisting the New Orleans police in the investigation.
Looking at this screenshot, taken from the on-scene coverage, the shooting appears to have taken place in front of a McDonald’s.
The shooting happened between 3:20 a.m. to 3:25 a.m. in the 700 block of Canal Street, according to New Orleans Police.
According to ABC News, officers who were already in place for the Bayou Classic football game responded immediately to the shooting after initially thinking they were being fired upon.
The victims were taken to local area hospitals with 5 going to University Hospital and the other 5 going to Tulane Hospital. The last person was a walk-in patient.
The 2 people who are now reported to be in critical condition suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and a gunshot wound to the torso, respectively.
NPR: “Congress has 110 gun bills on the table. Here’s where they stand”
110 gun bills. Some 110 bills containing the word “gun” have been introduced since this Congress convened in January, according to the Capitol’s official record-keeping website, Congress.gov. (Most of the 110 are directly related to the gun debate, though a few recognize historical events or deal with foreign countries.) This is out of 7,639 total bills introduced.
One became law. Just one of these bills passed both chambers, and it was not focused on the gun debate. It was the spending bill which ended the partial government shutdown in January. It included $20 million in funding to “reduce crime and gang violence.”
Who is behind the legislation? Democrats have written most of the gun-related legislation proposed this Congress, with 82 bills, compared to 28 by Republicans.
Sunday, Dec 1, 2019 · 5:16:17 PM +00:00 · Dunvegan
UPDATE
“Our contingency that we had in place for the Bayou Classic coverage responded to a shooting in the 700 block of Canal,” he said. “As such, we had officers right there within that very block that actually thought they were being fired upon and took a position to respond to this.”
Responding officers thought they were being fired up based on the proximity of the shots, which was near the collapsed Hard Rock Hotel, according to Ferguson.
Police initially reported that a man was detained near the scene, but Ferguson said throngs made it difficult for responding officers to determine who was actually firing the shots.
Ferguson said two of the injured were hospitalized in critical condition. The is no update on the status of the other victims wounded and taken to local hospitals.
No one is currently in custody, nor does law enforcement have a suspect in regards to this morning’s shooting.
Police are investigating the shooting by recovering various video footage and witness statements. They are also encouraging the public to come forward with any information on the shooting.
The shooting occurred while many visitors were in town celebrating the Bayou Classic, an annual football game between longtime rivals Grambling State University and Southern University.
In 2016, a shooting caused by an argument between two tourists during Bayou Classic weekend resulted in one fatality and the wounding of nine others.