16 wounded in shootout at party in New Orleans park, police say

Hundreds of people were gathered at a New Orleans playground for a music video shoot when two groups in the crowd opened fire on each other, wounding 16 people Sunday evening, police said.

Officers were on their way to break up a big crowd at Bunny Friend Playground when the gunfire erupted at the park in the city’s 9th Ward, police said in a statement.

Ten people were taken to the hospital in ambulances, police said, and another six were transported in private vehicles.

Photos of the scene showed emergency workers wheeling some of the wounded to ambulances on gurneys, while other people who appeared to be in pain lay on the ground.

Joseph Jordan was inside a house across the street from the park with his friend, who gave her first name as Raven, when they heard gunshots. Someone later called Raven and told her that her niece had been shot. The two rushed to the hospital to check on the 14-year-old, who had been shot three times in the leg.

Speaking of the hospital, Jordan said: “It’s still crowded back there.”

Investigators don’t know how serious the wounds are, or what started the shooting, police spokesman Tyler Gamble said. Large stadium lights illuminated the park late Sunday as police continued to work the crime scene. Witnesses told police that the gunmen had run off.

When the gunfire broke out, police said, hundreds of people were in the park. Some had walked there after a neighborhood parade had ended earlier that evening and others were watching or taking part in the music video, Gamble said.

The video was being made without a permit to use the park, Gamble said.

Police Supt. Michael Harrison told WDSU-TV that the shooting may have been gang-related.

Police had been helping with the nearby parade and quickly responded to the park, Harrison told the TV station.