10 hurt in shooting near New Orleans’ French Quarter

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ten people were shot and wounded early Sunday near the French Quarter in New Orleans, a popular spot for tourists. Hours later in another part of town, another shooting killed two men and wounded two others.

Police said both shootings remain under investigation, and authorities did not immediately draw any connection between them.

Two of the 10 people shot on Canal Street near the French Quarter were in critical condition in local hospitals, Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said. No arrests were announced by midday Sunday, and police did not immediately release information about any of the victims.

“What happened in our city overnight was a cowardly and senseless act that we cannot and will not tolerate,” Ferguson said in a statement.

He said New Orleans has seen a significant reduction in violent crime over the past four years.

Ferguson told The New Orleans Advocate/The Times-Picayune that a person of interest has been detained, but it was not immediately clear whether the person had any connection to the shooting.

The first shootings happened about 3:20 a.m. on a busy commercial block of Canal Street that has streetcar tracks and is near many hotels.