2 brothers held in New Orleans parade shooting

A pair of brothers have been charged with attempting to murder 20 people during a shooting spree at a parade on Mothers Day in New Orleans, and four other people have been arrested for allegedly harboring the fugitives during an intense manhunt, officials said Thursday.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Police Chief Ronal Serpas and Orleans Parish Dist. Atty. Leon A. Cannizzaro Jr. on Thursday afternoon returned to the street corner near the French Quarter where the shooting took place on Sunday during the parade, known locally as a second line. Originally, officials said 19 people, including two children were injured, but the toll on Thursday had increased to 20, with three people still in critical condition.

“The culture of violence is unnatural and unacceptable,� Landrieu said at the televised news conference describing the arrests, which were made after tips poured in to officials who had released a surveillance video of the attack. “The people of New Orleans have made this happen because quite frankly, enough is enough. ... There is too much death and violence on the streets of New Orleans.�

The mayor said the city will reclaim from gang violence the corner from where he and others spoke.

“We will reclaim this block, reclaim this city. We will not bow down,� he said. “We will not back up.�

Akein Scott, 19, was arrested Wednesday night and his brother Shawn Scott, 24, was arrested on Thursday, Serpas told reporters. He said both brothers had connections to local gangs and had a long criminal history, including violence and drug possession and distribution.

Serpas said both men worked together on the shootings, which the police chief called an act of cowardice. He said a second part of the motive was that they “engaged in a criminal lifestyle by choice,� but gave no details on whether he thought the brothers were shooting at a specific target.

Each faces 20 counts of attempted second-degree murder.

Along with the brothers, Serpas said police arrested four people who are accused of helping Akein Scott while he was on the run. Serpas said they will be charged as accessories after the fact to attempted second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. They range in age from 19 to 32, he said.

Akein Scott appeared in court on Thursday morning, accused of 20 counts of attempted second-degree murder. He was ordered held on a $10-million bond -- $500,000 for each victim.

Cannizzaro said his office now has 60 days to review the police reports before deciding on the formal charges

Akein Scott was the person an unnamed witness had identified from a surveillance video police released to the public on Monday. The witness said Scott was carrying a silver and black handgun, prosecutors said.

Police said on Wednesday night they had arrested Scott in the Little Woods section of the city. Scott already faced gun and drug possession charges and was out on bond at the time of Sunday’s shootings, officials said.

The surveillance video showed a crowd gathered for the parade suddenly scattering in all directions, with some falling to the ground. They appear to be fleeing from a man in a white T-shirt and dark pants who turned and ran off.

Gun violence has flared at two other city celebrations this year. Five people were wounded in a drive-by shooting in January after a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, and four were wounded in a shooting after an argument in the French Quarter in the days leading up to Mardi Gras.

Two teens were arrested in connection with the MLK Day shooting; three men were arrested and charged in the Mardi Gras shooting.

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