Three people have been shot in an attack that killed one and wounded two at a high school graduation ceremony in New Orleans, authorities have confirmed.
An elderly woman, whose age and identity has not been confirmed, died in the shooting which unfolded outside Xavier University's Convocation Center today on Tuesday, 31 May.
The Morris Jeff High School had been using the facility to host its graduation ceremony. After the event, an argument in the car park between two females escalated before guns were drawn and shots fired, WVUE were told.
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New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) Deputy Superintendent Christopher Goodly said the two surviving victims were male and sustained injuries to the leg and shoulder, but these are not considered to be life-threatening.
Three people have been taken into custody for questioning but no arrests have been made at the time of writing.
Goodly described the shooting as a 'senseless act of violence', telling the outlet: "This unfortunate incident did not have to happen... Nobody has been arrested for this crime, at this point."
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NOPD has since sent out an alert on social media, writing: "Investigation under way into shooting incident on campus of Xavier University, in area of Convocation Center. Initial information shows three gunshot wound victims transported to local hospital via EMS. Subject has been detained at the scene."
This is the second bout of violence to unfold at the university after a fight broke out at a graduation event for Carver High School on May 20, although this incident didn't involve gunfire.
Goodly said that there was a 'good amount of security' at the Morris Jeff High School ceremony, adding: “We had interior coverage as well as exterior coverage on the scene. Both the Xavier police, as well as the (NOPD) Second District and Tulane police on the perimeter security.”
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The news arrives just days after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Texas.
Last Tuesday, May 24, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire at the Uvalde school before being shot dead by law enforcement.
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As well as bringing America’s gun laws into question, local authorities have been criticised over their response to the massacre after it was revealed that there was a 40-minute gap between police arriving at the scene and the moment they stormed the building.
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Colonel Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said on Friday, May 27: “That was the wrong decision.”
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Topics: US News
