A gunfight that erupted in a New Orleans park during a party where a music video was being filmed has left 16 people injured, police say.
Evidence markers sit on the ground after the shooting at Bunny Friend Park in New Orleans. Photo: AFP
Circumstances surrounding the shooting in the city's Upper Ninth Ward, and details of what precipitated the violence, were not immediately clear, but New Orleans Police Department spokesman Tyler Gamble told Reuters no fatalities were reported.
Asked whether gang activity was thought to be involved, Mr Gamble said it was still too soon to say.
"We know, by speaking with some of the victims, that there were two groups of people shooting at each other," Mr Gamble said.
He said he did not know the conditions of the 16 victims, who were taken to several area hospitals for treatment.
The gunfight broke out during what appeared to be an "unplanned block party" attended by some 200 people where a music video was being shot, Mr Gamble said.
The incident unfolded between 6 and 7pm Sunday local time (1-2pm Monday NZT) at the playground in Bunny Friend Park, following a community parade that ended a few blocks away earlier in the day, the police said in an earlier statement.
New Orleans Police Commander Chris Goodley, speaking in a video clip posted by the New Orleans Times-Picayune website, said the crowd at the park remained "orderly" after the shooting.
"But we were trying to preserve the crime scene as best as we could and tend to the victims," he added.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison was also quoted by the Times-Picayune as saying "no one has died at this time".
Three witnesses told the newspaper they saw a man with a silver-coloured machine gun, and also heard more gunshots coming from within the crowd as he ran away. Several people were lying on the sidewalk after the shooting, it said.
WVUE-TV said police believed the shooting stemmed from a fight.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu had arrived at the scene of the shooting, the Times-Picayune said.
- Reuters
