Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

One killed, two wounded in shooting outside high school graduation ceremony in New Orleans

Violence happened on campus of city’s Xavier University

Graeme Massie
Los Angeles
Wednesday 01 June 2022 06:12 BST
Comments
One killed, two wounded in shooting outside New Orleans graduation
Leer en Español

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

One person was killed and two others wounded in a shooting outside a high school graduation ceremony in New Orleans, according to police.

The violence unfolded on the campus of Xavier University when a fight broke out “between two females” following the Morris Jeff High School graduation ceremony, officials say.

The fatally injured victim was an elderly woman and the other two victims were males, both of whom are expected to survive.

“A fight broke out between two females and it escalated to gunfire,” said New Orleans police spokesperson Gary Sheets.

New Orleans Police Department says that one suspect was detained at the scene and that the victims were rushed for hospital treatment by New Orleans EMS.

“Investigation underway 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,” NOPD tweeted on Tuesday.

Witnesses told Fox8 that a fight broke out after the ceremony and that between five and 12 gunshots were heard.

One witness told WDSU-TV that there was an altercation in a car park that led to the shooting.

“This is supposed to be a joyous occasion and it is very said for us to have to go through something like this. This is horrible,” an unnamed witness told the station.

“This is a horrific tragedy on what should be a day of celebration for our seniors,” said the high school’s principal Patricia Perkins.

The university’s Convocation Center is used as the venue for a string of the city’s high school graduation ceremonies every year.

Earlier this month, on 20 May, a fight broke out during the Carver High graduation event, with punches and chairs being thrown during the melee, according to WVUE.

The incident also comes two weeks after four people were injured in a shooting outside a graduation ceremony at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in