Teen shot dead at Mardi Gras parade
A shooting at a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans left a teenager dead and four other victims, including a 4-year-old girl, wounded, police said Monday.
A suspect, identified as 21-year-old Mansour Mbodj, was apprehended within moments and arrested for illegally carrying a weapon after gunfire rang out during the Krewe of Bacchus parade around 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, according to police.
“We can’t say who fired a weapon, who was involved in the shooting at this time, but we are definitely investigating,” Michelle Woodfork, the interim superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, said at a news conference.
The victim killed was a male between 15 and 18 years old, Woodfork said. He has not been identified.
The wounded, who haven’t been named publicly, include an 18-year-old man, women ages 22 and 24, and the child. They were all released after being hospitalized.
Police recovered two weapons from the scene. Woodfork described the shooting as “an isolated incident.”
“This is really not something we wanted to see,” Hans Ganthier, the chief deputy superintendent of New Orleans Police, said at an earlier news conference. “We really wanted this to be a safe Mardi Gras, and we continue to work toward that end.”
At least a dozen shots were fired, creating a chaotic scene toward the end of the parade, a witness told news station WWL-TV.
“Everyone ran. Everyone took cover,” Andrew Crawford said. “My whole family ducked. I kind of just hovered over my family, like the small children.”
The Krewe of Bacchus celebration dates back to the late 1960s and regularly takes place on the Sunday before Mardi Gras.
“Pitch Perfect” actor Adam DeVine served as this year’s celebrity monarch, a role held in past years by Will Ferrell, Drew Brees, Bob Hope and Billy Crystal.