Two Australian tourists were shot by drug peddlers in USA on Wednesday. The local police in New Orleans have claimed that the two Australian students were trying to buy drugs locally when they were attacked.
Two Australian students, aged 21 and 23, have been identified as Toben Clements and Jake Rovacsek. They were visiting USA, to compete in the 38th Intercollegiate Mining Games in Montana as part of the Wombats team representing Curtin University's WA School of Mines and had travelled to New Orleans for a private holiday.
New Orleans police told AAP the Australian men had been drinking at Bourbon Street bar The Swamp about 4am on Wednesday when they attempted to buy drugs.
They approached "an unknown black male", asked about purchasing drugs from him and then left the bar and followed the man to a four-door, dark-coloured sedan where a driver was waiting inside.
He drove them across the Mississippi River to Algiers, a residential suburb.
"The driver took the two victims toward Algiers and along the way, he told them that it would cost several hundred dollars to purchase drugs," police said in a statement.
"The victims told the driver they did not have the money available.”
When they arrived at LB Landry Avenue and Shepard Street, the pair said they exited the vehicle and were approached by another unknown male who demanded their money.
"When they told him they didn't have it, the unknown male shot them both and then jumped in the vehicle with the unknown driver and fled the scene."
One victim was shot in the stomach and the other in the chest.
Both are in a stable condition in hospital.
Detectives have called on locals to help identify the three suspects involved in the incident.
New Orleans police spokesman Dave Badie said detectives were also seeking surveillance footage to help with the investigation.
"We are trying to get surveillance video, but we don't have anything like that," Badie said.
The Australians had competed in the 38th Intercollegiate Mining Games in Montana as part of the Wombats team representing Curtin University's WA School of Mines and had travelled to New Orleans for a private holiday.
Curtin vice-chancellor Deborah Terry said both students' families had been contacted and were arranging to travel to the US, where support would be offered by School of Mines director Sam Spearing.
"Support is also being provided to the others in the group who were not in the vicinity of the shooting and are unharmed," she said.
"This is a very distressing situation and our thoughts are with the injured students and their families.”
