Police Kill Five on La. Bridge(UPDATE CONTRACTORS WERE SHOT AT: THE NOPD shot BAD GUYS)

CNN, AP BREAKING ^

[Chucky is a girlie man]

New Orleans PD shot contractors - not thugs - on bridge

Mod point of clarification: The first 100 or so replies below were posted in reaction to reports that the contractors had been fatally shot.

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Mod Update

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The Associated Press
Police shot and killed at least five people Sunday after gunmen opened fire on a group of contractors traveling across a bridge on their way to make repairs, authorities said.

Deputy Police Chief W.J. Riley said police shot at eight people carrying guns, killing five or six.

Fourteen contractors were traveling across the Danziger Bridge under police escort when they came under fire, said John Hall, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers.

They were on their way to launch barges into Lake Pontchartrain to help plug the breech in the 17th Street Canal, Hall said.

None of the contractors was killed, Hall said.

The bridge spans a canal connecting Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River.

No other details were immediately available.

[golas1964]

You have got to be kidding me! Who needs Iraqi insurgents when you've got the NOPD?!!

[Knute]

What a CF! Those who understand, understand...

[dk88]

It IS wrong - Now AP says the contracters were fired on by a group of men - police took out THOSE gunmen!!!

[Black Tooth]

On the west coast, we heard about an hour ago 7 or 8 people had been shot. We assumed they were bad guys, looters.

They just broke the news on this 5 minutes ago, that these were the contractors going in to help.

[karlito]

First the Ray Nagin Memorial Motor Pool, and now this. This is a tragic metaphor for the incompetence of the local authorities. The governor is doing *everything* she can to prevent a unified chain of command, which is the only thing that can mitigate the ever present risks of such "bleu-on-blue" engagements.

The blood of those contractors is on the hands of the governor and her advisors.

[podkane]

OH MY GOD.

But weren't the orders "shoot to kill?" Seems like things are still not being coordinated...

[dawn53]

Why were the previous threads pulled? Anybody know?

[jennyjenny]

Oh my. I hope this is a mistake.

[Howlin]

"If only Bush had sent in the military before..."

You know the drill.

[Dog]

Oh my god....the media has the freaking story wrong!

[My Favorite Headache]

Let's see how this one plays out...right now the BBC and media here is trying to give the police chief hero status for trying to maintain any sort of control while half of the department bugged out and turned in their badges.

Broad daylight here...not a nighttime shooting...some SERIOUS explaining to do.

[Youngblood]

Whoa! This was first reported as looters being shot!

[World'sGoneInsane]

Incredible.

[mystery-ak]

I hope your report is accurate

[Siouxz]

I sure hope your report is correct.

[JellyJam]

Yeah, go figure. :-)

[Richard Axtell]

This is insane. I am straining to understand how this could accidently happen, but so far, I cannot see how contractors, in broad daylight, could be mistaken for armed looters or gang members. As I said before, this is insane!

[afnamvet]

Horrible...Horrrible....................just speechless!

[msnimje]

They can't shoot the thugs.....but now this????? God Help Us.

Yeah, repairing a levee will get you killed but looting gets you a pat on the back? "New Orleans, the criminals Playground"