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Zydeco musician shot while on stage at Louisiana festival

Chris Ardoin was the headliner for a Zydeco music festival that attracted thousands.

A noted zydeco musician was shot as he was on stage at a Louisiana music festival Friday night, according to family and authorities.

Chris Ardoin, a third-generation zydeco performer, was struck in his back, his wife Kerri Ardoin said on his Facebook page early Saturday.

"Doctors said thankfully he’s a built guy," she said. "The bullet didn’t penetrate his lung and stopped near his ribs."

Image: Chris Ardoin
Chris Ardoin of Chris Ardoin & NuStep performs during the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the New Orleans Fairgrounds Racetrack on May 4, 2008, in Louisiana.Dave Martin / AP file

Older brother Sean Ardoin said on Facebook that Chris Ardoin was sent home Saturday. "God is faithful and praise Him that the bullet is 'safely' lodged in soft tissue in his back and is not a threat," he said.

He said his little brother had finished a set but was still on stage when the attack took place. "The gig was over," he said.

Chris Ardoin was billed as the night's headliner.

A statement from the Grant Parrish Sheriff's Office indicated Chris Ardoin was one of two people, including a 14-year-old, struck when multiple people shot into a crowd at Louisiana Mudfest, an off-road venue in Colfax that also hosts music events.

Both victims sustained "moderate injuries," the office said.

The sheriff's office said there were thousands of people leaving the event at the time of the shooting. Two people with guns jumped on the running boards of a vehicle that was exiting, the agency said, but they were arrested by deputies.

No identities were released.

The violence took place during "Zydeco Bike Fest" at the park. The rest of that event was canceled.