The Krewe of Bacchus Parade left four adults and a young girl injured, one of whom is in critical condition. According to the police, one individual was apprehended at the site.
According to police reports, a shooting occurred on Sunday night in New Orleans along the path of a parade that is part of the build-up to Mardi Gras, resulting in five individuals being shot and causing panic among the crowd, resulting in the event being truncated.
Karen A. Boudrie, a spokesperson for the New Orleans Police Department, stated that the shooting happened around the intersection of St. Charles Avenue and Terpsichore Street during the Krewe of Bacchus Parade, which began in the afternoon and lasted until 9:30 p.m.
As per Chief Deputy Superintendent Hans Ganthier of the police department, one person was apprehended at the site, and their identity has not yet been revealed. The police discovered two guns and stated that they are investigating whether there were additional shooters involved.
The victims, which consisted of three adult men, an adult woman, and a girl, were taken to a nearby hospital, as reported by Superintendent Ganthier. One of the men who were injured was in critical condition on Sunday night, while the other four victims were in a stable condition.
Superintendent Ganthier expressed his disappointment, stating that “This is truly not something we wanted to witness. Our goal was to ensure a secure Mardi Gras, and we are still striving for that.”
The Krewe of Bacchus, which features over 1,600 members and 32 floats, hosts its parade each year on the Sunday before Mardi Gras. The parade usually concludes with a formal gathering at a convention center, attracting more than 9,000 attendees.
Julia Moser, a tourist from Los Angeles who was immersed in the festive ambiance of the parade, heard what she thought was firecrackers. Her boyfriend, however, immediately recognized it as gunshots and grabbed her hand, prompting them to flee towards his apartment. Despite their haste, they could still hear the marching band’s cheerful music in the background.
Journalist Jonah Gilmore spoke to another eyewitness:
Floats are now starting to move along the route. The incident happened as float 22 was passing the area.
22, 23 and 24 have now rode through the intersection where the incident happened. pic.twitter.com/2RurxOOGw4
— Jonah Gilmore (@JonahMGilmore) February 20, 2023
Stacey Morigeau was in the area when an incident occurred along the uptown parade route during Bacchus. pic.twitter.com/6rtP5WIQHy
— Jonah Gilmore (@JonahMGilmore) February 20, 2023
Ms. Moser described the situation as a frenzied dash, adding that she was concerned that one of the many children in the area might get injured in the stampede.
As of Sunday, the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit organization that monitors gun-related incidents, has documented a total of 79 mass shootings in the United States in 2023.
