New Orleans attack: what we know about the victims
A nursing student, a Princeton footballer, a young mother and a father of two were among the 15 victims killed when a terrorist rammed his truck into a crowd of New Year’s revellers in New Orleans early Wednesday morning.
A nursing student, a Princeton footballer, a young mother and a father of two were among the victims killed when a terrorist rammed his truck into a crowd of New Year’s revellers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more.
Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texas man, and US Army veteran, rented an electric pick-up truck and attached a black Islamic State flag before crashing through barricades at the intersection of Bourbon and Canal Streets at approximately 3.15am (local time), killing 10 and injuring dozens before crashing and opening fire. He died during a shootout with police, officials said.
Alethea Duncan, a spokeswoman for the FBI, declined to provide details about the victims, citing the ongoing process of notifying families. However, local news outlets have begun reporting on the identities of those lost in the attack.
Who are the Victims of the New Orleans terror attack?
Two police officers were injured in the shootout but are reportedly in stable condition.
One of the reported victims was Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, a Mississippi native who had been preparing to start a nursing program at Blue Cliff College in New Orleans this month, according to local media reports. Her mother, Melissa Dedeaux, 40, told reporters, “I just want to see my baby. She was the sweetest person. She would give you anything, anything.”
NBC News identified Reggie Hunter, 36, a father of two from Louisiana, as one of the deceased. Hunter died after being struck by Jabbar’s truck, his cousin Shirell Jackson, 47, told the network. Jackson said she rushed to University Medical Center in New Orleans, where Hunter was pronounced dead. She described him as an “awesome person” with a “big heart” who deeply loved his two sons, ages 11 and 1.
Hunter was celebrating the new year with another cousin, who survived the attack. “I wish I could be talking to you and saying both of them was alive,” Jackson told NBC. “I wish the mom who I’ve seen at the hospital wasn’t crying and her daughter wasn’t dead. I don’t even know the lady.“
“She was crying because her daughter was dead,” Jackson said. “Another Black couple, their son was dead.”
Tiger Bech, a 27-year-old trader at a New York brokerage firm, died of “catastrophic injuries” sustained during the New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans, NOLA.com reports.
Bech, a Louisiana native, was kept on life support until has family could gather at his bedside. A graduate of St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, Bech played football before joining Princeton University’s team, where he earned a degree in finance in 2021. After completing his studies, he moved to New York to pursue a career in trading.
Bech’s brother Jack, addressed his older brother’s death in a post on his X account Wednesday. “Love you always brother!” he wrote. “You inspired me everyday now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us.”
Nicole Perez, 28, was confirmed as one of the victims by Kimberly Usher-Fall, her employer and family spokesman.
Usher-Fall shared that Perez had recently been promoted to manager at one of her stores, a role she was excited to take on. She often brought her 4-year-old son, Melo (Melvin), to work, where she helped him learn how to read.
“She was a great mother,” Usher-Fall told ABC News. “She just was a really exciting little young lady and she was getting herself together.”
Matthew Tenedorio, 25, a graduate of Pearl River Central High School in Carriere, Mississippi, was among those killed in the attacks, his family said. Tenedorio, who worked as an audiovisual technician at the Superdome, was remembered by loved ones as “a beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend whose laid-back spirit and infectious laughter brought joy to everyone around him,” according to a GoFundMe campaign organised by his cousins.
The family of Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, confirmed he was among the victims killed in the attack, following earlier posts reporting him missing on Wednesday. Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, Louisiana, where Gauthreaux graduated, expressed its condolences in a Facebook post.
“It is with great sorrow that we share that alum Hubert Gauthreaux, Class of 2021, was tragically killed in the senseless act of violence that occurred early this morning in the French Quarter,” the statement read. “We are asking the entire Archbishop Shaw family to pray for the repose of Hubert’s soul, his family and friends during this difficult time, and all those affected by this tragedy.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar confirmed that two Israeli citizens were injured in the attack. “Deeply saddened by the terrorist attack in New Orleans. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the victims,” Sa’ar wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Terror has no place in our world. Israel stands in solidarity with New Orleans and the United States.”
Deeply saddened by the terrorist attack in New Orleans. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the victims. Wishing a swift recovery to the two injured Israeli citizens and all the wounded. I instructed Israel's Consul General in Houston to immediately deploy a…
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) January 1, 2025
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