Several officers, including a number of homicide detectives, were gathered near the corner of Josephine and Willow streets on Tuesday.
New Orleans Police Department spokeswoman Dawne Massey said all three victims were taken to a hospital. The fatally wounded 24-year-old man died in surgery, she said. Police believe he was visiting relatives in the area when he was shot.
Massey said the other the two other victims, ages 28 and 37, had non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators suspect the surviving victims were bystanders, she said, and were not intended targets of the shooting, NOLA.com website reported.
NOPD said a red vehicle was seen in the area during the shooting, but no other description of possible suspects was available.
NOPD said the surviving victims reported hearing 12-15 gunshots and fled the area after they were struck.
The Central City shooting was the sixth shooting in New Orleans since Monday. Three of the shootings, including Tuesday's, were fatal. The six shootings have left a total of eight gunshot victims.