'Thoughts And Prayers' For 1 Teen Dead; 4 Hurt New Orleans Mardi Gras Shooting: PD

NEW ORLEANS, LA — What was supposed to be a fun occasion celebrating the last days before the Christian holy season of Lent in New Orleans, turned deadly on Sunday night.

A dispute between people boiled over into gunfire, killing an 18-year-old man and wounding four others as the Krewe of Bacchus parade wended its way down Terpsichore Street, New Orleans police said.

"First of all, we want to give our thoughts and our prayers to the victims that were involved in this incident and their families," she said. "We want to send our thoughts and prayers out to them on behalf of myself and the men and women of the New Orleans Police Department and also our partnering agencies."

The shots rang out just before 9:30 p.m., drawing the attention of officers and partnering law enforcement agencies, who were in the area, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Michelle Woodfork said at a news conference on Monday.

A yet-to-be-identified male between the age of 15 and 18 years old died, and four others, including three women, a 44-, 24-, and 22-year-old, and an 18-year-old man were wounded in the fray, now all treated at the hospital and since released, she said.

Mansour Mbodj, 21, was apprehended within moments and two weapons were confiscated from the scene resulting in a charge of the illegal carrying of a weapon.

Homicide detectives are still investigating, Woodfork said.

"We can't say who fired a weapon or who was involved in the shooting at this time, but we are definitely investigating what happened on last night," she said. "We have to wait to get our ballistics results back to really be sure on what guns were fired, and who may have been doing the shooting."

Parade-goer Andrew Crawford told 4WWL,"Everyone ran. Everyone took cover. My whole family ducked. I kind of just hovered over my family, like the small children."

Woodfork credited parade

personnel for working with law enforcement, allowing them and Emergency Medical Services to access the scene quickly.

"They were able to contain it really really quick and we were able to investigate it right there on the scene; get all the evidence that we need," she said.

The shooting was isolated and "near the parade route because someone decided that they were going to and the resolution was going to be ended with gunfire," Woodfork said, adding, "you know a problem that they had with someone else, they were going to end it with gunfire. "

With added gun enforcement since Mardi Gras began, the department has recovered 88 guns on or near the parade, or on roadways, and Lousiana State Police, 24, bringing the total to 112, Woodfork said.

"We are out there every day making sure that when people say they are carrying guns to these events we have them for handling very quickly," she said.

She asked anyone with information about illegal guns call Crime Stoppers at 504-822-1111.

All calls will remain anonymous.