Gunmen opened fire on a Mother's Day neighborhood parade in New Orleans, wounding at least 19, including two children, police said. 
 
 New Orleans police officer collects evidence at the scene of a shooting at the intersection Frenchman Street at N. Villere on Mother's Day in New Orleans, Sunday May 12, 2013. Gunmen opened fire on dozens... (Associated Press) 
 
 FBI spokeswoman Mary Beth Romig called it "street violence" and said federal investigators have no indication that the shooting was an act of terrorism. 
 
 The southern city has one of the highest violent crime rates in the U.S. The shootings took place less than two miles (3 kilometers) from the heart of the French Quarter. 
 
 Police said many of the victims were grazed, and most of the wounds were not life-threatening. 
 
 A news release said the wounded included two 10-year-olds. It also said two people were in surgery. 
 
 Police saw three suspects running from the scene. No arrests had been made as of late afternoon. 
 
 As many as 400 people joined what is known as a second-line parade, a loose procession in which people dance down the street, often following a brass band. They can be impromptu or planned. 
 
 Outside the hospital, Leonard Temple teared up as he talked about a friend who was shot three times. Temple was told the man was hit while trying to push his own daughter out of the way. 
 
 "People were just hanging out. We were just chilling. And this happened. Bad things always happen to good people," said Temple, who was at the parade but didn't see the shootings. 
 
 Shootings at parades and neighborhood celebrations have become more common in recent years as the city has struggled with street crime. Police say gang turf wars often are the root cause. 
 
 The neighborhood where the shooting happened was a mix of low-income and middle-class row houses, some boarded up. As of last year, the neighborhood's population was about 60 percent of its level before Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005. 
 
 Police vowed to make swift arrests. 
 
 "We'll get them. We have good resources in this neighborhood," Serpas said. 
 
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 AP Radio reporter Jackie Quinn in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report. ||||| A Mother's Day second-line shooting on Frenchmen Street in the 7th Ward, on Sunday about 1:45 p.m., left 19 people injured, according to the latest NOPD numbers. Earlier Sunday afternoon, NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas said that about 12 people had been injured, but the toll later grew to 19, with the NOPD explaining that some victims initially hadn't reported being injured and more people continue to come forward. 
 
 Police said 10 adult men, seven adult women, a 10-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were struck by bullets. Both of the 10-year-old victims had graze wounds to the body and were in good condition. A man and a woman were reported to be in surgery Sunday evening. 
 
 The shooting occurred in the 1400 block of Frenchmen Street at the intersection of North Villere Street. Immediately after the shooting police reported seeing three suspects running from the scene. One suspect was seen running on Frenchman toward North Claiborne, police said. 
 
 
 
 NOPD spokeswoman Remi Braden said many of the victims were grazed, some by bullets that ricocheted. "At this point, there are no fatalities, and most of the wounds are not life-threatening," she said in an email. 
 
 "But all medical conditions are not known at this time as victims were rushed to nearby hospitals," Braden continued. "Detectives are conducting interviews, retrieving any surveillance video in the area and, of course, collecting all evidence. This is an extremely unusual occurrence, and we're confident that we will make swift arrests." 
 
 Kevin Allman, editor of Gambit Weekly, said one of the publication's writers, Deborah Cotton, also known as the blogger Big Red Cotton, was shot and was in stable condition after undergoing surgery. 
 
 Shannon Roberts, 32, was in the Interim LSU Hospital in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon and early evening alongside reams of other crying and fear-ridden - and at times, angry - family members whose loved ones were injured in the shooting. Roberts said she was waiting on a 21-year-old nephew who was shot in the arm and stomach, a 37-year-old niece shot in the arm, and a 39-year-old cousin shot in the back. 
 
 "All innocent bystanders got hit," Roberts said. "When I got the call saying they were shot, I wasn't thinking at all, I was just shivering and crying... just hoping they be all right. 
 
 "The city needs to stop the violence. It's hurting our families," Roberts continued. 
 
 She said the shooters need to turn themselves in. "Mothers should not have to be crying any day no less Mother Day." 
 
 Dr. Jeff Elder, director of New Orleans EMS, said that three patients brought in were in critical condition and went straight to operating rooms. The rest, he said, were in good to serious condition and were admitted to the emergency room. 
 
 "I know a lot of you have loved ones back there," the nurse told them. "We're just now getting them all evaluated. 
 
 "We've had 19 people come in here at one time. We're all staying here until you all have what you need. ...We want to get it right. ... We are gathering facts as fast as we can. This a chaotic situation." 
 
 In the waiting room, families tried to console one another. They looked to magazines for distraction. They prayed. And, at times, they said "Happy Mother's Day." 
 
 A NOLA.com | Times-Picayune reporter was participating in the Mother's Day second line in the area when the shooting occurred, and heard six to seven shots fired. 
 
 Serpas said earlier Sunday afternoon that in addition to the people injured by gunshots, at least one person was injured in a fall during the ensuing commotion. Serpas said three to four people were in surgery, but he said at that time that he did not know their conditions. 
 
 Shermaine Tyler, 32, who lives on Villere Street about a block from Frenchmen, was celebrating Mother's Day a block from the shooting. Balloons dangled there, and Mother's Day cards were spread out for the holiday. 
 
 "Me and mom were going to the second line. I told her I didn't want to go because there are always shots at a second line," Tyler said. "And the second I heard shots, I heard shots fired, we ran outside and one man fell in my lap who had been shot." 
 
 She said the man who fell in her lap had been shot in his groin area and once in his hand. 
 
 "This is all ridiculous. We all bleed the same blood. We all come from the same God," Tyler said. "Everyone is getting shot, and for what?" 
 
 While Serpas said there were about 300 to 400 people participating in the Mother's Day second line, about 200 people apparently were in the area at the time of the shooting. Serpas said about 10 NOPD officers were spread throughout the second line. He said three people were seen running from the shooting scene. 
 
 
 
 "Obviously, this is an unusual circumstance," Serpas said. "We have second lines that occur in this city virtually every week at this time of the year." 
 
 
 
 Serpas added, "We can tell you without a doubt that we will find these guys. We will bring them into custody and make them pay for the crimes they committed today." 
 
 Also on Villere, a 59-year-old woman who didn't want to publicly give her name said she was inside her home, about to go outside to see the parade, when she heard shots ring out. 
 
 She said that from her porch she saw hundreds of people scattering, running. 
 
 "It's sad that people can't gather together and celebrate," she said. "You don't just go into a crowd and fire into a group of innocent people." 
 
 Adriana Stewart, who lives in the area, marched in the second line. 
 
 "This was my first time taking my kids to the second line," Stewart said. "It is not fair to the mother or the kids. It is just ridiculous." 
 
 Stewart said the second liners were throwing teddy bears and candy to revelers who had lined up to watch. 
 
 Serpas said the three gunmen likely worked together, and at least two different weapons were used. One of the suspects is described as a man between 18 and 22 years old with short hair and wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, Serpas said. 
 
 The New Orleans coroner said no fatalities have been reported from the shooting. 
 
 The Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club organized the second line and has held it on Mother's Day since 2001, according to Edward Buckner, the club's president. The parade started Sunday about 1 p.m. at the Original Big 7's home at 1825 Elysian Fields Ave. 
 
 Buckner said the parade was started "to celebrate the women of America in New Orleans for the hard time that they have taking care of children, taking care of everyone." 
 
 "I can't tell you what the gunmen looked like. I was busy parading. So, you know, I didn't see it coming," Buckner said. "Everyone was just busy having a good time. 
 
 "My feelings are hurt for the victims, and the club sends our sympathies and we hope that each of the families know that we wish them a speedy recovery," Buckner said. "We hope that the people who were shot don't stop being fans of the Big 7, because it wasn't anything that they did or the club did, it was just a random act of violence. 
 
 "It's not because of the associated pleasure clubs that this type of terrorist act happens. That's not the type of crowd that follow us. We have people as old as 70, and as young as 5" years old who parade, said Buckner, adding that a shooting had never occurred at their Mother's Day second line before. 
 
 At the Interim LSU Hospital, one mother, who identified herself only as "Peaches", said her 38-year-old son was shot twice in the chest. 
 
 "We are living in the last days," said Peaches, 55, who did not want to give her full name. "They killing everybody. Something need to be done. 
 
 "Maybe they need to get the army down here like they did after Katrina," she later continued. "...It's praying time." 
 
 Crimestoppers has doubled its standard $2,500 reward to $5,000 for information about this crime. In addition, the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau has added $5,000 to that reward, bringing the total to $10,000. Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 504.822.1111. 
 
 
 
 Stay with NOLA.com for updates as more information becomes available. 
 
 Staff writers Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, Mary Kilpatrick, Naomi Martin and Lauren McGaughy contributed to this report. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

– At least 19 people, including two 10-year-old children, were injured when gunmen opened fire on marchers in a Mother's Day parade in New Orleans yesterday, the Times-Picayune reports. No fatalities have been reported, but three victims are in critical condition. Police believe three suspects and at least two different weapons were involved. The suspects—one of whom is described as 18 to 22 years old with short hair, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans—were seen fleeing after the incident and are still at large. A police spokeswoman says many of the victims, including the two children, were grazed by bullets that ricocheted. "At this point, there are no fatalities, and most of the wounds are not life-threatening," she says. "This is an extremely unusual occurrence, and we're confident that we will make swift arrests." The FBI says it believes the shootings were "street violence," not an act of terrorism, the AP reports. Investigators aren't sure if the gunmen were shooting at random or targeting particular people in the "second line" parade—a New Orleans tradition in which participants walk or dance behind the main band.