11 wounded in French Quarter shooting: New Orleans police

Eleven people were wounded in a shooting early Sunday in New Orleans’ French Quarter, a popular tourist hub, US police said, adding that two of the victims were in a critical condition.

The shooting took place at about 3:00 am (09:20 GMT) on a crowded commercial street near many hotels in a historic district that attracts visitors from around the world.

No fatalities had been reported, and police said they quickly responded to the incident as extra patrols were on duty for an annual Thanksgiving weekend university football game in the city.

Video footage from the scene showed numerous police vehicles cordoning off the area as forensic teams made checks.

Police said on their Twitter feed that “one suspect had been apprehended near the scene.”

They later said the person’s possible involvement was still under investigation and that no arrests had yet been made. No other details have been given.

Local media quoted Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson as saying officers on the 700 block of Canal Street at the time believed that they were being fired upon.

“We had officers on that very block that thought they were being fired upon,” Ferguson told reporters.

“Unfortunately, there were so many people out here we were unable to determine who was actually firing shots at the time. We do not know how it started.”

The French Quarter has been hosting holidaymakers marking the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Thousands of fans and alumni have also been drawn to the city for the Bayou Classic football game traditionally played on Thanksgiving weekend between Southern University and Grambling State University.

On the same weekend in 2016, a man was killed and nine other people injured in a shooting on Bourbon St.

In June 2014, another shooting incident on Bourbon St left one person dead and nine injured.