Four wounded, one critically in New Orleans Mardi Gras shooting

Revelers catch beads as members of the Krewe of Endymion parade down Orleans Avenue during the weekend before Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana February 9, 2013.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - New Orleans police on Sunday investigating a shooting that wounded four people on the city's famed Bourbon Street as crowds gathered for the city's annual Mardi Gras celebrations.

One man was in guarded condition after being shot in the abdomen, upper thigh and pelvic area Saturday night, police said in a statement on Sunday.

Another man was hit in the buttocks, one woman was shot in the toe and a second woman was struck in the chin and foot, police said.

Police said they were looking for three men, who they did not identify by name.

The shooting was caught on camera by a bystander, and police on Sunday released footage that they said showed two people arguing with one of the victims. The two people left, and one of them returned with another person, approached the victim and began firing, wounding three other people, police said.

The footage shows a tightly packed crowd, with some people wearing Mardi Gras beads and holding drinks.

Crowds gather each year in the city's French Quarter during the celebrations that build to a climax on Fat Tuesday, which falls on February 12 this year.

(Editing by Corrie MacLaggan and Bill Trott)