ONE PERSON WAS killed and nine people wounded in a shootout in the historic French Quarter of the southern US city of New Orleans, police said early yesterday.

Some 30 officers rushed to the scene when shots rang out around 1:30 am (07.30 Irish time), city police superintendent Michael Harrison told reporters.

The man died of gunshot wounds, while two women and seven men were injured.

Harrison said  none of the victims was an intended target when two other men began arguing and shooting. Investigators continued searching last night for the suspects, who fled on foot.

The shooting victims were two women and eight men, ranging in age from 20 to 37, Harrison said. One of the men – 25-year-old Demontris Toliver – died at a hospital.

About 25 people who said they were friends and relatives of Toliver gathered late Sunday and lit candles at the scene of the shooting. They hugged each other, some crying. Several men in the group appeared to pray.

Five of the victims were released from a hospital last night, and four remained hospitalised with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, the police superintendent said.

Michael DeMocker / NOLA.com The Times-Picayune via AP Michael DeMocker / NOLA.com The Times-Picayune via AP / NOLA.com The Times-Picayune via AP

Twelve people, including one of those shot, were arrested in the French Quarter on Saturday and Sunday and charged with illegal possession of a firearm, police said. However, none of them was considered a suspect in the mass shooting.

Thousands of outsiders have poured into the French Quarter this weekend as New Orleans hosts the Bayou Classic, an annual American football game between two rival Louisiana state universities.

The multi-day event includes a competition between rival marching bands, concerts and a parade.

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