Cops seek suspects in shootout at playground in New Orleans

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS

Police sought to determine Monday what touched off a wild shootout in a crowd of hundreds of people at a New Orleans playground, where an evening of fun at a block party swiftly turned into a nightmare.

The shootout, combined with the recent shooting of a good Samaritan who tried to help a woman who was being dragged toward a vehicle, put a city that long has struggled with violence on edge.

“No one feels safe,” said Peter Scharf, a Louisiana State University professor who studies crime.

The Sunday night shootout happened as hundreds of people – possibly as many as 500 – gathered at the Bunny Friend Playground in what police described as a block party. A music video also was being filmed there. Police said neither event had a permit.

Officers were nearby overseeing a neighborhood parade when they received reports of a large crowd at the park. The shooting happened while they were on their way over to disperse the gathering. Two groups pulled out weapons and started firing, police said.

Seventeen people were wounded, including 11 who were under age 21, authorities said Monday.