Five teens killed in New Orleans street shooting

Five teenagers aged between 16 and 19 have been killed in a street shooting in New Orleans – the most violent crime reported in the slowly repopulating city since Hurricane Katrina hit last August.

All were believed to have been gunned down in a volley of bullets on a street in the Central City neighbourhood just outside the business district.

Three of the victims were found in a four-wheel drive vehicle rammed against a lamp post and two were found nearby on the street.

Captain John Bryson said police think the shootings were either drug-related or some type of retaliation attack. A semiautomatic weapon was used and “multiple, multiple rounds” were fired, he said.

“I think the motivation we’re looking at is pretty obvious,” he said. “Somebody wanted them dead.”

Bryson said he could not remember the last time this many people were killed in one incident, before or after Katrina. “I can’t remember five,” he said.

Four of the victims – a 16-year-old, a 17-year-old and two 19-year-olds – died at the scene. Another 19-year-old, believed to be the brother of the youngest victim, died later at a hospital, police said.

There was no immediate word if any of the victims had been armed. Their identities were not immediately released.

Terrance Rayly, 23, who was staying nearby, said he heard the shots: “It was like 15 gun shots. I heard pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.”

Crime, including murder, has been creeping up after Katrina emptied the city of its residents when it hit on August 29, flooding 80% of New Orleans.

Current population estimates vary but the city is believed to have fewer than half its pre-storm population of about 455,000.

So far, 52 people have been murdered in the city since January 1, half the number of murders at this time last year, Bryson said.

There were only 17 killings between January and March. But the rate picked up after that – there were 13 in April alone, followed by 22 in May and June, including yesterday's killings.

Bryson said the recent spike in murders was connected to drugs – not just a “New Orleans problem”.