NEW ORLEANS – Authorities have identified a man who speeded up Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning to kill at least 15 people and injured dozens more.
Shamsude Din Jabber, 42, of Texas, was killed after a shootout with police after his pickup truck collided with a lift vehicle at the intersection of Bourbon and Conti Streets, the FBI confirmed. . He reportedly drove a police barricade on Canal Street and intentionally attacked pedestrians.
After Jabber attacked the lift vehicle, the FBI said he shot law enforcement at the scene and was killed in a fire on his way home. Two police officers were injured in the shootout and were taken to the University Medical Center, where New Orleans Police Department Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said he was in stable condition.
Another 35 people were also injured and taken to a local hospital, some reported in dangerous conditions.
Arethea Duncan, a special assistant agent for the FBI in the New Orleans area, said Jabber is a US-born citizen and an Army veteran. The FBI is leading an investigation into what the agency says it calls a terrorist attack.
The FBI also said that a potential improvised explosive device (IED) was found on the scene, along with other firearms, a flag from a group of jihadist Islamic states was found in the truck.
Two other explosive devices were found in the French quarter, but the controlled explosion was asked to blocks far from the area.
Duncan said that while others are believed to be involved in the attack, he did not detail what others are being investigated.
At about 3:15am, the truck driver piloted a police barricade on Canal Street, avoiding the vehicle from Bourbon Street and thrust into the crowd, Kirkpatrick said. The truck appears to have been able to travel three blocks before colliding with a lift vehicle near Conti Street.
“He was troubled by the massacre and the damage he did,” the police chief said.
Steel bollards rising from the street were installed along Bourbon Street in 2017 to protect pedestrians; In the process of being exchanged According to the city’s Ministry of Public Works website.
Bomb squad personnel were seen entering the country in the French quarter. This said the FBI is under scrutiny for additional explosive devices. Several small booms have been listening from the block, and city council members said the explosion is being controlled to clear possible IEDs.
Eight blocks of Bourbon Street remained closed to traffic and pedestrians, with some hotels in the French Quarter evacuated as a precaution. The public is asked to avoid most of the historic neighborhoods where crowds are commonly seen than on a typical weekend on a great year day.
New Orleans hosts fans of the University of Georgia and Notre Dame Sugar Bowl, scheduled for Wednesday night at the Superdome. Representatives for the event said they are talking to local, state and federal authorities to maintain development.
Hospitality and Services industry employees report work Wednesday morning.
The city will also be holding a Super Bowl LIX on February 9th.
This is an updated, developing story.
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