Police in New Orleans confirmed that they shot eight people on the Danziger Bridge Sunday morning, killing "five or six." Deputy Police Chief W. J. Riley told the Associated Press that the police were escorting contractors across the Danziger Bridge when they were fire upon by a group of armed people. The police returned fire and hit eight people, killing "five or six," according to Riley.

John Hall, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said there were 14 contractors in the group Another Corps spokesperson, George Stringham, says the contractors were employees of Boh Bros. Construction Co., a New Orleans-based company contracted by the Corps for several post-Katrina repair tasks. Stringham said the contractors were on their way to try to reopen the Almonaster railroad bridge over the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal when the shooting started. "The police were able to extract the contractors to safety and call for reinforcements, he said. None of the contractors was hurt in the shootout, Stringham said.