A shooting in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans on Sunday night left two people dead and five others injured.
Of those two victims were children, a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, who were both left in critical condition. Two other people were reported as being in stable condition. The two pronounced dead was an unidentified man and an 18-year-old woman, reported USA Today.
Witnesses described the shooting as a drive by which started when someone began shooting at a porch filled with people, including the two children. Police spokesman Frank Robertson did not yet release any other details or motives for the shooting.
A vehicle described as dark-colored, and possibly a Honda Accord, fled the scene after the shooting. Witnesses also said that African-American males were inside.
Another unrelated shooting accorded earlier in the morning. A 20-year-old man was in a three-hour standoff with police after he shot a friend inside a hotel room. The standoff ended when the man, who was said to be under the influence of an unknown substance, committed suicide, reported the Houston Chronicle.
The Lower Ninth is less than 5 miles from the French Quarter, a tourist district.