Early morning shooting in New Orleans

Eleven people have been wounded, two critically, in an early morning shooting in a popular US tourist hotspot.

Eleven people were wounded in a shooting early on Sunday in New Orleans’ French Quarter, a popular tourist hub, US police said, adding that two of the victims were in a critical condition.

No arrests have been made.

A person of interest has been detained, according to New Orleans Police Department Supt. Shaun Ferguson, though it’s unclear what involvement the detained person had in the shooting.

People wait with their luggage to leave the area on Canal Street next to Bourbon Street near the scene of a shooting. Picture: Max Becherer/The Advocate via AP

According to the New Orleans Advocate, gunfire broke out just before 3:30am in the 700 block on Canal Street, a crowded commercial street near many hotels in a historic district that attracts visitors from around the world.

Police were on the scene immediately, according to Ferguson, and even initially thought it was they who were being shot at due to the proximity of the gunfire.

“We had officers on that very block that thought they were being fired upon,” police superintendent Shaun Ferguson told reporters.

New Orleans police investigate the scene of a shooting on the edge of the city's famed French Quarter in New Orleans. Picture: Max Becherer/The Advocate via AP

“Unfortunately, there were so many people out here we were unable to determine who was actually firing shots at the time. We do not know how it started.”

The New Orleans Police Department said via its Twitter feed that no arrests had been made and investigations were ongoing.

No fatalities have been reported.

UPDATE: The total number of victims in this incident is 11. A victim walked in at a local hospital for treatment. Investigation remains ongoing. #NOPDAlert

— NOPD (@NOPDNews) December 1, 2019

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There was a heightened police presence in town due to the Bayou Classic football game being played in the city this weekend.

The Bayou Classic is an annual Thanksgiving weekend rivalry clash between Grambling State and Southern University.

In July 2018, 34 people were shot and seven were killed in 17 shootings over a two-week period in New Orleans.

Originally published as Early morning shooting in New Orleans