1 dead, 1 injured in shooting at Mardi Gras parade

One person was killed and another was critically injured in a shooting during a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans on Thursday night, according to police.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison told reporters a fight broke out between two people and one of them began shooting at the other.

The victims were taken to a local hospital in critical condition. One of the victims, a 21-year-old male, died from a gunshot wound to the chest. A 22-year-old male remained in the hospital, the department said.

One of the victims was involved in the fight, police said. It was not clear how the other was involved, if at all. Nor was it clear which of the victims was fighting the gunman.

Harrison said that officers on the scene at the time chased the suspect and took him into custody. Officers also recovered a firearm, he said.

The shooting occurred on the parade route for the Muses parade, according to the city’s website. The Times-Picayune said the parade was about over at the time of the shooting and that revelers fled following the gunfire.

The newspaper also reported that in 2009, seven people were injured during a Mardi Gras Day shooting, including a toddler.

Several parades have been scheduled to take place daily in the city through Mardi Gras, which is on Tuesday.

Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco.