New Orleans Mardi Gras Shooting Leavs Six Injured

Today is Fat Tuesday, a day known for gluttony as it marks the end of the Mardi Gras celebration before the Lenten season begins. Police have recovered the weapon used in the Mardi Gras shooting and have arrested two suspects.

Bob Young, New Orleans police spokesman, says the 'Rex' parade had just passed by a group of revelers when shots were heard around 1:40pm CST.

Shots erupted during a truck float parade that followed. One victim was shot in the stomach and is in serious condition according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper.

Medics rushed each of the victims to the Trauma Center at University Hospital in New Orleans. Two men aged 20 were the most seriously injured. Those two Mardi Gras parade shooting victims are in guarded condition according to the New Orleans EMS.

The other victims are in stable condition including a 1-year-old baby boy with a graze wound in the back; a 17-year-old girl was shot in the thigh, while a 50-year-old woman was shot in the elbow and a 30-year-old man suffered a graze wound to the thigh. Each of the victims appeared to be innocent bystanders according to Deputy Chief of police Kirk Bouyelas.

"The important thing to note is that the officers were here at the scene and quick to respond," he said.

Mardi Gras is New Orleans' pre-Lenten celebration that attempts to rival Brazil's Carnival. Family picnics on the parade route are a common staple, along with plenty of X-rated sights on Bourbon Street. Mardi Gras ends officially Tuesday night and is marked by flashy parades and high spirited celebrants.