A 10-year-old child was killed and two teenagers wounded by gunfire Monday in New Orleans, police said.
Police Chief Shaun Ferguson said police responding to shots being fired about 5 p.m. found the three victims.
A girl described as about 15 or 16 years old and a boy, age 13, were wounded. The 10-year-old died from a gunshot wound to the head.
What motivated the shooting is unknown, and no suspects had been publicly identified as of Monday evening.
Ferguson said police so far had learned the victims were standing along a street in New Orleans’ 7th Ward “when they were approached by individuals on foot who began to fire at the victims.”
Ferguson called for witnesses to come forward. “I am begging you, I am pleading with you — the community — to come forward with any information that you may have.”
Ferguson also implored any family members of the victims to “let the police handle it. We do not want street justice. We do not want any more blood on our streets.”
Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who stood next to Ferguson during the news conference at the scene, said, “We will ensure justice at every single level.”
“Any time in which we, as a society, are talking about social justice vs. social injustice, we as a community need to take a look at ourselves and what is it we are doing, what is it that we are accepting as a norm with this Black on Black violence,” said Ferguson, who is Black.
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