NEW ORLEANS — Sunday evening, I was on St Charles Avenue with my friends, enjoying The Krewe of Bacchus parade.
We were just down the street near Tacos and Beer, catty-cornered from where gunshots rang out near St. Charles Avenue and Terpsichore Street. St. Charles Avenue separated me from the shooting.
It went from a moment of joy and exhilaration to panic and fear. People went from dancing and catching beads to dropping to the ground and running away from the parade.
I turned to run, but my friend grabbed me and yelled, "GET DOWN!" So I did. We were flat on the ground, on St Charles Avenue. We lay there until we stopped hearing shots and thought it was clear, then ran inside into Tacos and Beer.
I had two friends inside Tacos and Beer, and they had no clue there was a shooting as they said they never heard the shots.
The restaurant was packed to the brim, and people were scared and unsure what to do.
The four of us hugged each other, thankful we were all ok and uninjured. We decided to head home, and thousands of others had the same idea.
In the back of our heads, we were unsure if more gunfire would ensue.
Coming from a country with much stricter gun laws, this was the first time I have ever experienced a shooting this close and taking cover in fear.
It's heartbreaking this happened. The suspect put thousands of people in danger and killed a teenage boy. That boy was someone's son, someone's friend.
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