One of the victims, an elderly woman, has died, New Orleans Deputy Chief of Police Christopher Goodley told reporters.
The university hosted a graduation ceremony at the nearby Morris Jeff Community School.
The shooting happened around 11:45 a.m. when NOPD security guards responded to a call for gunshots in the parking lot of the Xavier University Convention Center, NOPD said in a statement. When officers arrived, they found three victims with firearms – two men and a woman – all of whom were taken to local hospitals. The woman died at the hospital, the statement said.
“There was a battle that broke out between apparently two women,” Goodley said. “After this battle, the subjects were producing weapons and shots were fired.”
Many people have been detained for questioning, police said. The suspect and the motive are still being investigated. No arrests have been made, police said.
Patricia Perkins, head of the Maurice Jeff School, said in a statement that Tuesday was supposed to be an adult holiday.
“Maurice Jeff is a strong school community and we will come together to help each other heal,” Perkins said. “Every day we teach our children to resolve their differences with their words and to be compassionate to each other. Our alumni will make a difference in this world because they learn to see each other as equal human beings. This determination only grows stronger after today’s violence. “
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell spoke at the graduation ceremony but left before the shooting, her spokeswoman Melissa Newell told CNN. Cantrell issued a statement later Tuesday saying “gun violence continues to plague our city.”
“We will remain focused on using local and federal partnerships to prioritize initiatives aimed at prevention strategies,” the mayor said in a statement. “We also understand that there is a higher degree of personal responsibility that must be present in order to de-escalate these situations. As we see across the country, gun violence is a disease, and treatment requires a collaborative approach involving each of us to come together to make our streets safer. “
Henderson Lewis Jr., head of public schools in New Orleans, said in a statement that he was “outraged and saddened by the numbness” that occurred Tuesday.
“Maurice Jeff’s high school graduates were there to share their collective achievements and enjoy the brilliance of their future, only to break their optimism about gun violence,” Lewis said. “All our children have the right to be safe, and we must do everything we can to protect that right. My heart breaks for the families of the victims and I beg you all to unite around them in times of need. “
CNN’s Ryan Young contributed to this report.
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