Police Release Footage of the Horrific Moment Mother’s Day Parade Shooter Opened Fire and Injured 19 People

New Orleans police have released surveillance footage showing the horrific moment a suspected gunman opened fire on a Mother’s Day parade, in an attack that left 19 people wounded.

The grainy footage shows a crowd suddenly scattering in all directions, with some falling to the ground, in a scene of confusion and chaos.

They appear to be running from a man, who is wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants, who turns and runs out of the picture. {snip}

The shooting–described by the FBI as a flare-up of street violence–shattered the festive mood surrounding the parade that drew hundreds of people to the 7th Ward neighborhood of modest row houses not far from the French Quarter.

Cell phone video taken in the aftermath of the shooting shows victims lying on the ground, blood on the pavement and others bending over to comfort them.

At least three of the victims were seriously wounded. Of the rest, many were grazed and authorities said that overall most wounds were not life threatening. No deaths were reported.

The victims included 10 men, seven women, a boy and a girl. The children, both 10-years-old, were grazed and in good condition.

Police vowed to solve Sunday’s shooting but said it was not initially clear if particular people in the parade were targeted, or if the shots were fired at random.

{snip}

As many as 400 people came out for the second-line procession–a boisterous New Orleans tradition–though only half that many were in the immediate vicinity of the shooting, said Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas.

{dnip}

The neighborhood where the shooting happened is a mix of low-income and middle-class row houses, some boarded up.

As of last year, the 7th Ward’s population was about 60 per cent of its pre-Hurricane Katrina level.

The crime scene was about 1.5 miles from the heart of the French Quarter and near the Treme neighborhood, which has been the centerpiece for the HBO TV series ‘Treme.’

{snip}