A gun battle erupted amid a gathering at a New Orleans park Sunday evening, scattering the crowd of revelers and wounding 16 people in a spasm of sudden violence.
New Orleans Police Department spokesperson Garry Flot said it's unclear what ignited the shootout at Bunny Friend Park, where hundreds of people had gathered for a music video shoot and block party.
"At the end of the day it's really hard to police against a bunch of guys who decide to pull out guns and settle their disputes with 300 people between them," Mayor Mitch Landrieu told reporters from the scene.
Police spokesman Tyler Gamble told the New York Times  "there were two groups that were firing shots back and forth at each other, and then ran off after each other on foot."