Agencies
Washington
The man who drove into a crowd in New Orleans early on New Year’s Day was killed by law enforcement officers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Wednesday, adding that it considers the incident “an act of terrorism.”
At least 10 people have died and more than 35 were hospitalized following the incident, which took place in the French Quarter, a popular nightlife district of the south-eastern US city.
“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 statement said.
During a press conference, the police described the driver’s actions as “very intentional behaviour.” New Orleans police chief Anne Kirkpatrick said that the driver “was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could.” Most of the victims, according to initial investigations, are people from New Orleans, with only a few of them being tourists, Kirkpatrick said.
Emergency services responded to what was described as “mass casualty incident” by the city.
Earlier, broadcaster CBS News reported eyewitnesses said a pickup truck ploughed into the crowd at high speed on Bourbon Street and that the driver then got out and fired a gun. The perpetrator reportedly also shot at two police officers, both of whom are in hospital in “stable condition,” according to police.
No information has yet been released on the identity of the driver. A large contingent of emergency services were on the scene, footage from WWLTV showed. A station reporter said the police had numerous restaurants and bars on Bourbon Street cleared.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry described the incident on the social media platform X as a “horrific act of violence.” “Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene,” he wrote, urging people to avoid the area of the incident.
Investigators recovered a handgun and an AR-style rifle after the shootout, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
Investigators were also combing the French Quarter for potential explosive devices, another law enforcement official told the AP. The officials were not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of
anonymity.
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said officials were investigating at least one suspected improvised explosive device at the scene.
“When I got to work this morning, it was kind of pandemonium everywhere,” Derick Fleming, chief bellhop at a downtown hotel, told the AP. “There were a couple of bodies on the ground covered up. Police were looking for bombs in garbage cans.”
Tens of thousands of college football fans were in the city for Wednesday night’s Sugar Bowl playoff quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame at the nearby Superdome. The game is expected to be played as scheduled.
Both schools expressed condolences and said they were working to determine if any students, employees or alumni were harmed.
Zion Parsons told NOLA.com that he and two friends were leaving a Bourbon Street restaurant when he heard a “commotion” and “banging” and turned his head to see a vehicle “barreling” onto the pavement toward them. He dodged the vehicle, but it struck one of his friends. “I yell her name, and I turn my head, and her leg is twisted and contorted above and around her back. And there was just blood,” Parsons said. The 18-year-old said he ran after hearing gunshots shortly thereafter.
“As you’re walking down the street, you can just look and see bodies, just bodies of people, just bleeding, broken bones,” he said. “I just ran until I couldn’t hear nothing no more.”
Bourbon Street has had barriers to prevent vehicle attacks since 2017, but Wednesday’s rampage happened amid a major project to remove and replace the devices, which left the area vulnerable.
