Gunman injures 7 on Bourbon Street in New Orleans

USPA News - A gunman opened fire at a crowd on the famed Bourbon Street in New Orleans on early Sunday morning, injuring seven people in the heart of the city`s nightlife, police said. It was not immediately known what led up to the shooting.

The incident occurred at about 2:45 a.m. local time in the 700 block of Bourbon Street, which is well-known for its annual Mardi Gras celebration and is the center of the area`s nightlife with jazz clubs, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars. The 13-block street is located in the French Quarter neighborhood of New Orleans. One witness, who asked not to be identified, said the gunman appeared to target one person specifically before firing into a crowd. It was not immediately clear what led up to the shooting or what may have been the motive, and police could not say whether any arrests had been made. Frank Robertson, a spokesman for the New Orleans Police Department, said seven people had been shot by the gunman, but added that there were no fatalities. "Six of the victims are listed in stable condition while an unidentified female is listed as critical", he said by e-mail. "We have no further updates." New Orleans has one of the highest crime rates in the country, though mass shootings are relatively rare. According to figures collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 156 people were murdered in the city last year, down from 193 murders in 2012. A total of 1,564 assaults were also reported last year. In May 2013, twenty people were injured when a member of a gang calling itself the "Frenchmen and Derbigny Boys" opened fire at a crowd watching a Mother`s Day parade in the 7th Ward neighborhood near the French Quarter. The gunman, a 19-year-old man, was arrested days later, along with his brother who was said to be an accomplice. A motive remains unknown.