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At least 10 people have been killed after a vehicle drove into a large crowd in New Orleans, a city in Louisiana, United States.
The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon in the French Quarter, a popular tourist area, when a car sped down Bourbon Street.
Witnesses told CBS News that the driver reportedly got out and began shooting at pedestrians. Police returned fire, and two officers were injured in the exchange.
Anne Kirkpatrick, the city’s police superintendent, described the attack as “very intentional”.
“This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could,” she said.
Kirkpatrick said attack began at 15:15 local time (21:15 GMT), adding that most of the victims appeared to be local residents, but the identities of those killed or injured are still being determined.
She said numbers could change, but confirmed 10 people were killed and at least 35 others injured.
She said it is unclear how many victims are tourists and how many are locals but added that she believed that the majority are local to New Orleans.
The superintendent said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will take over the investigation into the incident.
Althea Duncan, FBI agent, clarified that the shooting was not a terrorist incident, but noted that “improvised explosive devices” were found on scene.
Duncan said the FBI is working to find out if they are “viable” devices and urged the public to stay away from the area.
Jeff Landry, governor of Louisiana, described the incident as a “horrific act of violence”.
Landry said he is praying for all the victims and first responders at the scene.
Pascal Arogorn Ibe
