At least 10 people were killed and dozens injured after a 42-year-old man plowed a truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans’ Bourbon Street in what the FBI is investigating as an “act of terrorism.”
The FBI later identified the suspect – who was killed after engaging in a shootout with police officers – as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US-born citizen from Texas.
“An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations,” the FBI said in a statement on Wednesday. “Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle. Other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter. The FBI’s Special Agent Bomb Technicians are working with our law enforcement partners to determine if any of these devices are viable and they will work to render those devices safe.”
The bureau also noted that it would be leading the investigation and is working with law enforcement partners “to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”
“We do not believe Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his own known associates,” Alethea Duncan, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the FBI’s New Orleans office, said in a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
Law enforcement also recovered and handgun and AR-style rifle after the attack and are looking into his background, political and religious views, and past travel history.
Meanwhile, the Sugar Bowl has been postponed until Thursday night.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell added during the Wednesday afternoon press conference that the “Greater New Orleans Foundation has set up a fund to assist victims,” and the city was taking “every necessary step to put even more safety procedures in place, especially given the nature of the investigation.”
With that in mind, here’s everything we know about the victims of the tragedy.
Reggie Hunter
Hunter, a 37-year-old Baton Rouge father of two, was among the 10 victims who perished on Wednesday morning.
His family told The Times-Picayune “had gotten off work and headed to Bourbon Street on a whim to ring in the new year with a cousin.”
“They decided to go out there because he came in from work and said, ‘Hey, the Sugar Bowl is tomorrow. It’s New Year’s Eve. Let’s go to the city,” Hunter’s first cousin Shirell Jackson said. “Just something so simple. Hey cuz, had, wanna ride me to the city?”
Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux
Dedeaux, 18, traveled to New Orleans from Gulfport with her cousin and friend to celebrate the New Year on Bourbon Street, her family told The SunHerald.
“I just want to see my baby,” her mother Melissa Dedeaux, 40, grieved. “She was the sweetest person. She would give you anything, anything.”
