A New Year’s Eve party in New Orleans turned tragic when a pickup vehicle struck a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing ten people and injured thirty.
A joyous New Year’s Eve celebration in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter turned into a horrific scene early Wednesday when a pickup truck crashed into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street, killing at least ten people and injuring dozens more. The event is being investigated by the FBI and local police.
The catastrophe occurred about 3.15 a.m., when the city’s main street was still buzzing with New Year’s Eve festivities. According to eyewitnesses, the vehicle, described as a white truck, drove through a barricade and collided with a group of people on the sidewalk.
Kevin Garcia, 22, who was present during the incident, recounted to CNN, ‘The only thing I saw was a truck crashing into everyone along the left side of the Bourbon sidewalk.”A body came flying at me,” he explained, adding that he heard gunfire shortly after the incident.
Witnesses verified allegations that the driver exited the truck and engaged in a shootout with law enforcement. We heard the sound of gunshots and witnessed officers rushing toward the scene,” stated Nicole Mowrer, who was accompanied by her husband Jim when the truck struck the crowd. They remained in a neighboring alcove until the shooting ceased, then went out onto the street, where they discovered more injured people.
As commotion erupted, authorities rapidly took control of the area, ordering people to leave as soon as possible and to put their phones away After they finally released us from the club, the police directed us on where to head and urged us to leave the area as quickly as possible, recalled Whit Davis, 22, an observer from Shreveport, Louisiana. I witnessed several lifeless bodies that were left exposed, along with many others getting treated with first aid.
By daybreak, the depth of the tragedy was clear. The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) confirmed the mass casualty incident, which claimed 10 lives and injured 30. The injured were sent to five local hospitals for treatment while authorities attempted to secure the crime scene and gather evidence. Officials would not immediately confirm whether the attack was deliberate, but Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick described the motorist as hellbent on creating carnage and damage with his actions.
FBI leads the inquiry.
The FBI’s New Orleans field office is handling the investigation, with Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan reporting the discovery of a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) on the scene.
The NOPD was already on high alert owing to the enormous crowds expected in the city for both New Year’s celebrations and the forthcoming Sugar Bowl, a major college football game to be held at the Superdome.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the attack a “terrorist incident” and expressed her astonishment and sympathies to the victims’ families. Cantrell expressed in a statement that this violent act, devoid of reason deeply impacts the core of our community. We are working closely with federal authorities to determine the entire magnitude of the incident.
