One of the victims, an elderly woman, has died, New Orleans Police Department Deputy Chief of Staff Christopher Goodly told reporters.
The university was hosting a graduation ceremony for the upcoming Morris Jeff Community School.
The shooting took place around 11:45 a.m. when NOPD officers working with a security detail responded to a call for gunfire in the parking lot of the Xavier University Call Center. say a NOPD press release. When officers arrived, they found three gunmen, two men and a woman, who were taken to local hospitals. The woman died at a hospital, according to the statement.
“There was a fight that apparently broke out between two women,” Goodly said. “After this fight, the subjects produced weapons and fired shots.”
Several people were detained at the scene for questioning, police said. A suspect and his cell phone are still under investigation. There were no arrests, police said.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell spoke at the graduation ceremony, but left before the shooting took place, her press secretary, Melissa Newell, told CNN.
Patricia Perkins, principal of Morris Jeff School, said in a statement that Tuesday should have been a day of celebration for seniors.
“Morris Jeff is a strong school community and we will work 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 with each other. Our graduates will make a difference in this world because they learn to see themselves as equal human beings. This decision is only more strong after today’s violence. “
New Orleans Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said in a statement that he was “outraged and saddened by the cruelty” that took place on Tuesday.
“Morris Jeff’s senior students were there to share their collective achievements and enjoy the brilliance of their future, only to have their optimism shattered by armed violence,” Lewis said. “All our children have the right to be safe and we must do everything in our power to protect this right. My heart is broken for the families of the victims and I implore all of us to gather around them in the moment of need. “
CNN’s Ryan Young contributed to this report.