New Orleans shootings leave 2 dead, 11 injured after parade
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A New Orleans second-line parade ended in bursts of gunfire Sunday night as two separate shootings killed at least two people and injured 11 others, police said.
Zoom in: The shootings cut short the Nine Times Social Aid and Pleasure Club's 26th annual parade as it wound through the 9th Ward.
- Officers who were part of the regular second-line detail heard gunshots at about 3:38pm Sunday in the 1800 block of Almonaster Avenue, NOPD said. Ten people were injured at that location from two weapons, The Times-Picayune reports.
- About 45 minutes later, police say, NOPD received report of gunfire about nine blocks away at Almonaster and Florida avenues. Three people were injured there, and two of those people died, police said.
- There were no immediate reports of any arrests.
The big picture: Nine Times is part of the rich cultural heritage amongst the city's Black community.
- It is one of dozens of social aid and pleasure clubs, which were originally founded as a way for Black residents to support each other in difficult times during the Jim Crow era. Nine Times is one of the largest, with three divisions, according to "Dancing In The Streets."
- The events are typically joyous, dance-fueled, brass band-led street parties that celebrate life and honor club members' community contributions.
- But the events have also been the scene of occasional violence. In perhaps the most infamous example, a second-line on Mother's Day in 2013 ended when 19 people were shot. One person, Deb Cotton, a standard-bearer for the second-line community, died from her injuries years later.
Social media posts from Nine Times' second-line earlier Sunday show event-goers dancing through the 9th Ward streets.
- In some videos, some club-members step out in head-to-toe silver ensembles, and in others dancers show off their footwork from the top of brick cemetery walls under brilliant blue skies.
What they're saying: "Our hearts goes out to all those who were impacted by what happened today!!" reads an Instagram story for the Nine Times Divas.
- "This is crazy! In all our years, nothing like this has ever happened!!! This is very unfortunate and sad all the way around the board!!!"
For the record: Tips can be reported to Crimestoppers by calling (504) 822-1111.
Editor's note: This story was updated after NOPD said Monday the number of people injured had risen to 11.