NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Just hours after ringing in the New Year, tragedy struck in the heart of New Orleans’s most prominent tourist center when a pickup truck driver intentionally plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street, leaving 15 people dead and dozens injured in what federal authorities are now investigating as an act of terrorism.
Early Wednesday, police reported 10 fatalities. That number increased to 15 before 4:30 p.m.
Bourbon Street is known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties, and crowds in the city are ballooning in anticipation for the Sugar Bowl college football playoff game at the nearby Superdome.
“This was not a DUI situation,” New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said. “This was intentional.”
Kirkpatrick said that the man was attempting to take out as many people in their path as possible.
Law enforcement sources confirmed the suspect’s identity to Fox 8 as Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, just before noon on Wednesday, Jan. 1. The FBI confirmed it publicly shortly thereafter.
What Happened?
The chaos began around 3:11 a.m. Wednesday, January 1, when a truck driven by Jabbar bypassed police barricades at high speed, targeting pedestrians in the area of Bourbon and Canal streets.
After bypassing barricades at Canal and Bourbon, the man traveled almost three blocks down Bourbon Street, crossing Iberville and Bienville streets, coming to a stop when he collided with heavy machinery just before Conti Street.
After crashing, the suspect exited the vehicle and opened fire on responding police officers, injuring two who are listed in stable condition.
Harrowing video obtained by Fix New Orleans on X shows Jabbar speeding down Bourbon Street as revelers flee his deadly path.
ISIS Flag and Explosive Devices
Jabbar, who authorities said was an Army veteran from Texas, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police at the scene. A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed.
Guns and pipe bombs were found in the vehicle, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.
The devices were concealed within coolers and wired for remote detonation, the bulletin said, and a corresponding remote control was discovered inside the vehicle.
Law enforcement recovered a handgun and an AR-style rifle from the truck, which had a Texas license plate and an ISIS flag attached to the trailer hitch.
Investigators have reportedly reviewed video showing three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices (IED) in connection with the car attack.
The revelation could help explain why officials at a Wednesday news conference said that they were aggressively hunting for additional suspects and did not believe Jabbar acted alone.
If confirmed as IS-inspired, the attack would represent the deadliest such assault on U.S. soil in years, coming as FBI officials have repeatedly warned about an elevated international terrorism threat in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
Truck was rented
The pickup truck used in the attack was rented via Turo, an app that connects drivers, known as “guests,” with vehicle owners, known as “hosts,” according to Steve Webb, the company’s vice president of communications.
“We are heartbroken to learn that one of our host’s vehicles was involved in this awful incident,” Webb said in an email. “We are actively partnering with the FBI. We are not currently aware of anything in this guest’s background that would have identified him as a trust and safety threat to us at the time of the reservation.”
According to Fox News, the truck was tracked crossing the southern border into the U.S. at Eagle Pass, Texas, in November. The person who crossed the border with the vehicle in November is not believed to be the attacker.
The Pasadena Police Department in Texas has told local news outlets it is assisting in the investigation. Texas Governor Greg Abbott says the state’s Department of Public Safety is investigating.
Witnesses and Victims
Information about the victims began to pour out Wednesday afternoon.
Among those killed was Reggie Hunter, a 37-year-old father from Baton Rouge who went to Bourbon Street on a whim after work with his cousin. Both Hunter and his cousin were struck. Hunter died from his injuries and his cousin is one of the 35 injured.
Also killed was Tiger Bech, a 28-year-old athlete from Lafayette. Bech was a former St. Thomas More football player, the brother of former LSU football player Jack Bech, and a wide receiver at Princeton.
A Mississippi man who was celebrating New Year’s Eve in New Orleans says his friend who dreamed of becoming a nurse was among the people killed in an attack on Bourbon Street.
Nicole Perez, 28, had recently been promoted to manager at Kimmy’s Deli in Metairie. She leaves behind a young son.
A spokesperson for Archbishop Shaw High School confirmed that Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, was also killed in the attack. He graduated in 2021.
Zion Parsons, 18, said a vehicle suddenly appeared and he watched it hit his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux. Parsons described the crowd scattering and the gruesome aftermath.
“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering” Parsons said.
He said he watched as authorities put a tarp over Dedeaux’s body. He later called Dedeaux’s family to tell them what had happened.
“I hadn’t had time to cry up until I called her mother and she asked me, ‘Where’s my baby’,” Parsons said. “That broke me.”
Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror and chaos as the truck barreled through the crowd, followed by gunfire.
“When I got to work this morning, it was kind of pandemonium everywhere,” Derick Fleming, chief bellhop at a downtown hotel, told The Associated Press. “There were a couple of bodies on the ground covered up. Police were looking for bombs in garbage cans.”
Kevin Garcia, 22, told CNN that he saw a truck slamming into people on a sidewalk and heard gunshots.
“A body came flying at me,” he said.
Whit Davis told the network that he heard people yelling and running to the back as he was leaving a nightclub.
“When they finally let us out of the club, police waved us where to walk and were telling us to get out of the area fast. I saw a few dead bodies they couldn’t even cover up and tons of people receiving first aid,” said Davis, 22.
Hours after the attack, several coroner’s office vans were parked on the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets, cordoned off by police tape with crowds of dazed tourists standing around, some trying to navigate their luggage through the labyrinth of blockades.
“We looked out our front door and saw caution tape and dead silence and it’s eerie,” said Tessa Cundiff, an Indiana native who moved to the French Quarter a few years ago. “This is not what we fell in love with, it’s sad.”
Despite the day being marked by a mass casualty event, Kirkpatrick said that the city wants locals and visitors to “go about the day” and continue to “enjoy New Orleans”.
According to information from NOLA Ready, families of victims arriving at the University Medical Center (UMC) are being asked to go to the UMC Conference Center on the 1st Floor, across from Tower 2, which is the midpoint of the hospital.
The Greater New Orleans Foundation has started a donation fund for the families of the victims.
FBI Investigating Across State Lines
Initially hesitant to label the incident, the FBI later confirmed they are investigating it as an act of terrorism. In a statement, the agency said:
“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 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.”
FBI Houston and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office secured a perimeter around Jabbar’s recent address near the intersection of Hugh Road and Crescent Peak Drive in north Houston related to the attack.
City and National Response
Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the incident as a “terrorist attack,” while officials have briefed Governor Jeff Landry and the White House on the situation. President Joe Biden issued a statement expressing condolences to the victims and support for local law enforcement:
“President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news that a driver killed and injured dozens of individuals in New Orleans overnight and the White House has been in touch with New Orleans Mayor Cantrell to offer support,” the White House said in a statement.
“The FBI is already on the ground supporting local law enforcement in the investigation and the President will continue to be briefed throughout the day,” the statement added.
President-elect Trump also addressed the attack in a statement, vowing to help authorities to investigate the attack after he takes office.
“When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true. The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department. The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!” Trump said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed that the FBI is investigating the incident as a terrorist attack.
“The FBI is investigating this matter as an act of terrorism. The FBI, the ATF, the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and will deploy every available resource to conduct this investigation,” he added.
President Biden says he has been “continually briefed” on the attack since early Wednesday morning and is in contact with Secretary of Homeland Security Ali Mayorkas and other top administration officials.
“I will continue to receive updates throughout the day, and I will have more to say as we have further information to share. In the meantime, my heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday. There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities,” Biden said in a statement.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement, “a horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning.”
“Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene. I urge all near the scene to avoid the area.”
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., condemned the attack as “evil” and urged the federal government to provide resources to investigate.
Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., also mourned the attack in a statement, saying New Orleans “will rise again, stronger and more united.”
“I commend the swift actions of the New Orleans Police Department and federal law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly to neutralize the threat and secure the area. Their bravery and dedication prevented further loss of life. As we continue to learn more about this tragedy, including the motive behind such senseless violence, I am committed to working with local and federal authorities to ensure justice for the victims and to strengthen measures that safeguard our communities against acts of terror,” he said in a statement.
Sugar Bowl postponed
The tragedy unfolded just hours before the Sugar Bowl, where Notre Dame was set to face off against Georgia. Caesars Superdome was placed on lockdown while authorities swept the area for explosives and the game was postponed until Thursday.
What protections are there for pedestrians on Bourbon Street?
City documents show New Orleans has been in the midst of a major project to remove and replace post-like barriers called bollards designed to prevent vehicle attacks along Bourbon Street. That project began in November and involves replacing old bollards with new removable stainless steel bollards.
Have there been similar deadly attacks involving vehicles?
Wednesday’s attack in New Orleans is the latest example of a vehicle being used as a weapon around the world to carry out mass violence. The trend has alarmed law enforcement officials because such attacks can be difficult to protect against.
A 50-year-old Saudi doctor plowed into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers in the German city of Magdeburg last month, killing four women and a 9-year-old boy.
A man who drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee in 2021 is serving a life sentence after a judge rejected arguments from him and his family that mental illness drove him to do it. Six people were killed.
An Islamic extremist was sentenced last year to 10 life sentences for killing eight people with a truck on a bike path in Manhattan on Halloween in 2017. Also in 2017, a self-proclaimed admirer of Adolf Hitler slammed his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and is now serving a life sentence.
