WATCH: People flee Bourbon Street as 5 are shot in New Orleans

Published: Aug. 2, 2021 at 12:49 PM EDT
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NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) - A French Quarter crowd scattered in panic as five people were shot early Sunday morning, New Orleans police said.

The gunfire was heard just before 3 a.m. at the intersection of Bourbon Street and Orleans Avenue, WVUE-TV reported.

According to police, one person was detained. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.

Cell phone video captured by John Gualtieri shows hundreds of people running down Bourbon Street after shots rang out.

Brian Mullin, a bar owner in the French Quarter, said he saw the stampede of people fleeing for their lives right in front of his business.

“I went out on my balcony. I saw everything going crazy,” he said. “I didn’t want to walk down because I didn’t know what I was going to walk into. I called my staff and everyone was OK, but it’s frustrating.”

Some tourists staying on Bourbon said they heard the commotion from their hotel rooms.

Matt Euson said news of the shooting makes him want to be more cautious when he’s out.

“I’ve been here a long time ago, but it’s been a while,” he said. “Definitely a lot rowdier than I remember.”

Mullin said he feels more law enforcement is needed to combat the recent rise in violent crime but worries criminals are simply becoming too brazen.

“As a business owner, we want to invest more money in our business, and we’re not right now because we’re scared,” he said.

“I mean, it’s scary when you’re a business owner, and you’re dealing with these pressures of COVID and now you have lack of police presence on top of it and you’re dealing with crime running rampant.”

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