Interstate shooting victims say they were innocent bystanders caught in crossfire

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The victims of Friday afternoon’s shooting on I-10 in New Orleans East say they were innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.

Councilman Oliver Thomas suggested Friday (April 7) that the shooting could have stemmed from a fight at a park.

The shooting victims say they were nowhere near that area.

“He’s a very good child. He did not deserve this,” said a victim. “I was taking my kids to the waterpark, and we ran into a spray of bullets.”

The SUV, on its way to a waterpark in Alabama for a family vacation, is now riddled with bullet holes.

RELATED STORY: 4 shot, including 2 juveniles on I-10 in New Orleans East

“I don’t even stay in New Orleans. I stay on the outside of New Orleans. I don’t be in no drama,” continued the victim. “I don’t fight nobody. We were innocent bystanders caught into whatever was wrong. Me and my family and my baby did not deserve this.”

The victim says she was shot in the back and her aunt was shot in the leg. Her 8-year-old daughter was grazed by a bullet on her head, and her 11-year-old son was shot in his back, the bullet traveling up to his jaw.

“Once I looked behind me, all I’m screaming is that my 11-year-old child’s head was in his lap and his head was down in his lap and he had blood dripping and I went on screaming his name,” said the mother.

The family says Thomas unfairly questioned their parenting with his comments.

“We respect kids,” said the victim’s husband. “I’m a football coach. I have my own athletic training building a business. She has kids. I have kids. We wouldn’t dare put no kid in jeopardy or harm’s way of even doing anything like that. So Mr. Oliver, whoever he is, that story is 100% false; it’s not true at all.”

The parents want people to know they were not involved in any fights, especially not around their kids.

“I won’t lie, I’m tired of telling this story because I don’t know what happened. I wish I did, but I don’t know what happened,” said the victim. “I don’t know why this happened to us, but it did, and we are just going to take it one day at a time. We are just going to get through this.”

The mother says her 11-year-old son remained hospitalized Saturday, but that his condition was improving.

She says he is responsive and able to talk to the family.

Thomas did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.

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