What We Do and Don’t Know About the New Orleans Attack That Killed 15

In the early hours of the New Year’s Day celebrations on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, the city was attacked when a driver veered a pickup truck into the crowd, killing 14 people and wounding at least 35 others. The suspect was also killed in a gunfire exchange with police.

The New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Orleans field office continue to share details about  the attack, but the investigation is still underway.

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In a press conference on Jan. 1, Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, shared that the suspect responsible for the attack had been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar. She expressed that the FBI does not believe that Jabbar worked alone.

Here’s everything we do—and don’t—know about the attack so far.

What happened during the New Orleans attack?

At “approximately 3:15 a.m.” local time, an individual driving a rented Ford pickup truck swerved around a police car protecting crowds celebrating on Bourbon Street, and drove through the festivities.

CCTV footage released shows a white, Ford F-150 Lightning vehicle driving on to the pavement, turning sharply before hitting pedestrians. According to a press conference with the FBI on Jan. 2, authorities believe the suspect picked up the Ford on Dec. 30 in Houston. 

The New Orleans Police Department Public Affairs released an article on the attack later in the day on Jan. 1, chronicling the events.

“Multiple law enforcement officers responded to a report of a vehicle having driven into a crowd of pedestrians on Bourbon Street,” the NOPD public affairs desk wrote. “Multiple people were reportedly struck before the vehicle crashed.”
NOPD and the FBI stated that the suspect, after exiting the vehicle,  opened fire on officers who responded at the scene—fire which they returned. The suspect was struck by fire and was pronounced dead at the scene.

NOPD and the FBI reported that those injured—including the two NOPD officers who were injured during gunfire exchange with the suspect—were transported to local hospitals via EMS for treatment.

The FBI also confirmed that weapons and potential improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were found in the pickup truck, as well as in other areas of the French Quarter. FBI bomb technicians are working to identify and “render those devices safe.”

What do we know about the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar?

The driver and suspect has been identified as Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen, and Army Veteran from Texas.

Jabbar joined the Army in 2007, serving on active duty in human resources and information technology and deploying to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, an Army spokesperson is quoted as telling CNN. He transferred to the Army Reserve in 2015 and left in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.

According to the New York Times, Jabbar was married twice. He divorced his first wife, Nakedra Charrlle Marsh in 2012, and was separated from his second wife. 

The Times also reported that Marsh’s new husband, Dwayne Marsh, said Jabbar had been acting erratically in recent months, “being all crazy, cutting his hair,” and that the couple had stopped allowing Jabbar to see his two children with Marsh.

The FBI stated that an ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and they are now “working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.” In the Jan. 2 press conference, the FBI stated that Jabbar posted five videos on his Facebook on New Years Eve, which showed his support for ISIS.

“So what I can tell you right now is that he was 100% inspired by ISIS,” said Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the bureau’s Counterterrorism Division. “We’re digging—we’re digging through more of the social media, more interviews, working with some of our other partners to ascertain a little bit more about that connection.” 

Though assistant special agent Duncan previously told the press that the FBI believed Jabbar had help in carrying out his attack, the FBI said on Thursday they thought that Jabbar acted alone in an “act of terrorism.”

What do we know about the victims of the attack?

Not much is known at present about the victims of the New Orleans attack—nor has law enforcement released an official list—however some have been publicly mourned.

One victim, Kareem Badawi was identified as a student of University of Alabama in a press release from the school’s president. “I grieve alongside family and friends of Kareem in their heartbreaking loss,” the statement read. Badawi’s high school, the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, wrote on Facebook that they would be hosting a prayer service for Badawi and another former student who was critically injured in the attack.

Another victim, Martin “Tiger” Bech, was identified by Princeton as a former student and football player at the school. His coach stated that Bech was “a ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate, and a caring friend.”

Reggie Hunter was mourned in a Facebook post by his cousin, Shirell Robinson Jackson, who wrote that Hunter had just texted wishing their family “Happy New Year” before the attack.

“Not a threat to anyone…he surely didn’t deserve  this, none of the victims did,” they wrote.

The Times reported that recent high school graduate Ni’Kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux was also among the victims. Her mother, Melissa Dedeaux, posted a photo of Ni’Kyra on Facebook, mourning her loss.

How have President Biden, President-elect Trump, and others responded to the attack?

President Joe Biden released a statement on Jan. 1 confirming that he was briefed by law enforcement on the attack, and stating that his heart goes out to the victims.

“There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities,” Biden wrote.

Biden later discussed the attack in a filmed address to the nation from Camp David, Md. “The FBI is leading the investigation to determine what happened, why it happened, and whether there’s any continuing threat to public safety,” Biden said. “The FBI also reported to me that mere hours before the attack, he [the suspect] posted videos on social media, indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill. The ISIS flag was found in his vehicle, which he rented to conduct this attack. Possible explosives were found in the vehicle, as well, and more explosives were found nearby.”

President-elect Donald Trump responded to the incident  via his social media platform, Truth Social, where he wrote that the New Orleans attack was indicative of a wider “crime rate” problem in the United States. 

 “Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department,” he wrote. “The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!” 

On Jan. 1, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry issued a State of Emergency in Orleans Parish, which he states will allow for allocation of resources to prepare for large events in the area coming up, including the Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras.