An elderly woman was killed and two men were left wounded Tuesday after a shooting broke out following a high school graduation ceremony on Xavier University‘s campus.
The New Orleans Police Department says a fight broke out between two females as graduates and families were leaving the ceremony and that’s when shots were fired.
Police say all three victims were transported to a local hospital where the woman was pronounced dead. The two men’s injuries –one to the shoulder and the other to the leg– are not considered life-threatening.
At least three people were detained for questioning but no arrests had been made as of Tuesday afternoon.
“I am outraged and saddened by the callousness shown today outside Xavier University,” NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. said. “The graduating seniors of Morris Jeff were there to share in their collective achievements and bask in the brightness of their futures – only to have their optimism ripped apart by gun violence. This has got to stop. We must come together as a community, as a country, and address the damage caused by access to guns and to get to the root of the anger and despair that compels individuals to even think of harming others. All our children have a right to be safe and we must do all we can in our power to protect that right. My heart breaks for the families of the victims, and I implore us all to rally around them in their time of need.”
The shooting took place in a parking lot outside Convocation Center, which many local high schools use to host their graduation ceremonies. Witnesses said at least anywhere from 5-12 gunshots rang out.
