Xavier freshmen's car fired upon

One of three Xavier University freshmen who were inside a car fired on in Gert Town about midnight Wednesday sustained at least one gunshot wound that was not life-threatening, authorities said.

"I heard a lot of shots," said Lionel McCoy, who has lived in the neighborhood for about a decade. "Later, I saw the police at the corner" of Pine and Olive streets.

The trio abandoned the vehicle at the dimly lit intersection and ran about a half dozen blocks to the university, officials said.

The injured 18-year-old, who was wounded in his lower extremities, was transported to a local hospital, said Jeb Tate, a New Orleans Emergency Medical Services spokesman.

According to preliminary information, the three students had gone to a McDonald's, Xavier University President Norman Francis said.

"We're still investigating," he added.

Information about what prompted someone to shoot at the vehicle was not available immediately, Officer Shereese Harper said.

The injured student is from Illinois. The other two, who were not injured, are from Indiana and Baton Rouge.

The injured 18-year-old apparently was shot in the buttocks and calf, according to preliminary information obtained by university officials. The shooting victim ran into the lobby of a dorm before being taken away by an ambulance.

A lot of cars drive through this intersection, said Gert Town resident Erin Craig as he watched cars pass through the corner surrounded by vacant lots with waist-high and chest-high grass and buildings neglected for years,

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