The FBI and other officials are continuing to investigate after a car in New Orleans plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 and injuring at least 35.
The agency is currently investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. The suspect, later identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, was killed in a shootout with police shortly after 3:15 a.m., the Associated Press reported. Jabbar is a U.S. Army veteran who declared support for ISIS before the attack, as CBS News stated.
The injured were taken to five hospitals in the area, per the AP. There were large crowds on Bourbon Street and in the French Quarter to celebrate New Year’s Eve. There have been large crowds aside from the NYE festivities, as the Sugar Bowl college football game between Georgia and Notre Dame was initially set to take place Wednesday night.
Statement from the FBI
“This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others,” the FBI’s official statement reads. “The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”
New Orleans’ mayor, Latoya Cantrell, also referred to the incident as a terrorist attack and said they have been in conversations with the White House.
“President Biden called New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell this morning to offer full federal support following the horrific news that a driver killed and injured dozens of individuals in New Orleans overnight,” says a statement from President Joe Biden. “The President has been briefed on the latest developments by senior FBI and DHS leadership and his homeland security team, and he will continue to be briefed on this incident throughout the day. FBI is leading the investigation and is working closely with local and state officials.”
‘Hellbent on creating the carnage that he did’
New Orleans police said that this was an intentional act and that the suspect wanted to create “carnage.”
“This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could,” said Anne Kirkpatrick, superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, as WDSU reported. “He was hellbent on creating the carnage that he did.” WDSU also noted that officials have asked the public to avoid this area of Bourbon Street until further notice while the investigating is going on.
The two police officers were also shot in the attack and are in stable condition, per WDSU. Officials have also been investigating “at least one suspected improvised explosive device at the scene.”
What we know about the victims
Several victims have been identified, including Nikyra Dedeaux and 18-year-old who aspired to become a nurse, and a 37-year-old father named Reggie Hunter.
Former college football player Tiger Bech, 27, 25-year-old Matthew Tenedorio, 2023 Auburn University graduate Drew Dauphin and Nicole Perez, a single mother said to be in her 20s, had also been identified at the time of publishing, per the AP.
The Greater New Orleans Foundation is currently taking donations for the New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund.
