Mass shooting was tragic exception in New Orleans' violent crime drop, officials say

• Officers have not yet made any arrests, Kirkpatrick said, but they have leads. They are reviewing video footage, and say they're investigating a car that may have been involved.
• It is not yet clear whether the separate shootings are related, Kirkpatrick said, nor how many shooters were involved.

What they're saying: "NOPD was well-represented before the second-line, during and even following the second-line," said Councilman Eugene Green, whose district includes the 9th Ward neighborhood where the second-line was parading.

• But "sometimes people are so bent on violence … people who hate themselves, people who hate other human beings that they're going to do what they're going to do no matter what's happening around them."

Zoom in: 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, Kirkpatrick said, and ballistics indicate two weapons were used.

• The second-line continued despite the shooting, Kirkpatrick said Monday, to avoid the chaos that disbanding unexpectedly might unleash.
• 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.
• After the second shooting, police ended the parade.

All of the victims in both incidents were injured by gunfire, and all were Black, according to NOPD.

• In the first incident in the 1800 block of Almonaster, victims included:
• A 30-year-old man.
• A 32-year-old man.
• A 33 year-old man.
• A 71-year-old woman.
• A 20-year-old man.
• A 32-year-old woman.
• A 24-year-old woman.
• A 28-year-old woman.
• A 39-year-old woman.
• And a 30-year-old woman.
• In the second incident, two men were killed and a 32-year-old man was injured.
• The two men killed were identified as Rasean Carter, 21, and Malachi Jackson, 19, according to WDSU.

The big picture: Officials, who are under pressure as the city prepares to host the Super Bowl in February, were quick Monday to put Sunday's mass shooting into context, highlighting a citywide drop in violent crime over the past couple of years.

• "I want to remind everyone that though we had this terrible event and it has now pushed our murder number to 119 deaths this year … two years ago today, we were at 238 murders," Kirkpatrick said. "Just last year, as of this period of time, we had 192 [murders]. Every single one of those numbers represents a person. This is not just a statistic."

Between the lines: The Nine Times Social Aid and Pleasure Club's second-line is one of the city's largest, and thousands of people were in the streets parading, dancing and celebrating when the shootings took place.

• But despite a record year in tips for Crimestoppers, the agency "has not received a lot of tips on this," the agency's CEO Darlene Cusanza said Monday.
• "There were a lot of phones being used on yesterday," Green said. "There are a lot of people who saw what happened. You can feel comfortable knowing there's support for you as a witness or a victim."

Second-lines are a distinct part of New Orleans culture, with dozens taking over the streets every year. Typically joyous street parties led by brass bands, the events celebrate and honor Black social clubs and their members.

• But officials on Monday also emphasized that they should be safe spaces.
• "I'm 9th Ward born and raised and bred," said Pastor Jacques Williams, who works with the NOPD to reduce retaliatory crimes. "We have a saying that 'we're from the 9 and we don't mind dying,' but we do mind dying. The time for dying is past and the time for living is at hand."

Context: Louisiana law bans carrying a guns at Mardi Gras parades, but doesn't specifically include second-lines.

The intrigue: Mayor LaToya Cantrell's office released a statement late Sunday offering prayers and condolences, but Cantrell herself was in Rio de Janeiro for the Urban 20 (U20) Mayors Climate Summit.

• During the NOPD's press conference, Cantrell's communications director Terry Davis stood in the back of the room behind the media.
• Cantrell was expected to return to New Orleans on Monday, her office said.