4 wounded in Mardi Gras shooting

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NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- New Orleans police Sunday released a private citizen's video showing the Bourbon Street shooting during Mardi Gras festivities that wounded four people.

Police said they hoped the tape would help lead to the arrest of three suspects wanted in the Saturday night gun play in the jam-packed French Quarter street, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported.

Investigators said the shooting started about 9:30 p.m. after a verbal argument between two of the suspects and one of the victims, an 18-year-old youth. Police said the two suspects left only to return soon after with a third man who approached the 18-year-old and shot him three times in the stomach, leaving him in critical condition.

Three bystanders were wounded by the spray of bullets -- 22-year-old woman hit in the chin and right foot, and a 21-year-old woman shot in the left leg and a 29-year-old man shot in the buttocks. They were hospitalized in stable condition.

Patrick Clay, 21, of Mandeville said the gunfire sent a crowd of people running.

"Everyone immediately started running and the cops immediately started running towards where people were running from," Clay said.

"I was with a group of about seven people and at that point we all just kind of grasped hands and made our way through the crowd as soon as possible. We were pretty scared, but at that point, I was just more worried about taking care of my friends."