Aspiring nurse, ex-football star and father of 2 among dead in New Orleans truck attack
An 18-year-old girl who dreamed of becoming a nurse, a father of two and a former Princeton football star were among those killed in New Orleans when the driver of a white pickup truck sped down Bourbon Street, full of revelers wednesday morning .
Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people who died in the New Year’s truck attack, but their families and friends have begun sharing their stories.
New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said in a statement late Wednesday that they will release the names of the dead once autopsies are complete and they have spoken with next of kin. About 30 people were injured in the attack. Here are the names of some of the victims:
Nikyra Dedeaux
Zion Parsons of Gulfport, Miss., was celebrating New Year’s Eve on Bourbon Street in the city’s French Quarter when a pickup truck pulled up and ran over his friend, Nikyra Dedeaux, 18, who said she had been dreaming of become a nurse.
“A truck hits the corner and comes through, throwing people out like in a movie scene, throwing people up in the air,” Parsons, 18, told The Associated Press. “It hit him and threw him like at least 30 feet and I was lucky to be alive.”
The driver drove around a police block and crashed into the party before being shot by police during an exchange of gunfire. Parsons described the gruesome aftermath of bleeding and mutilated victims, hearing gunshots and explosive sounds.
“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, all screaming and screaming,” Parsons said. “People crying on the floor, like brain matter all over the earth. It was just insane, like the closest thing to a war zone I’ve ever seen.”
Dedeaux was a responsible daughter and helped take care of her siblings, Parsons said. Dedeaux also has a job at a hospital and is about to start college and begin working toward her goal of becoming a registered nurse.
“He had his mind set — he didn’t have it all figured out, but he had the plan set,” Parsons said.
Reggie Hunter
Reggie Hunter, a 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge, La., was also among those killed earlier Wednesday on Bourbon Street in what officials are investigating as an act of terror.
Hunter had just gotten off work and headed out to celebrate the New Year with a cousin when the attack happened, his cousin Shirell Jackson told Nola.com.
Hunter was killed and his cousin was wounded, Jackson said.
Tiger Beech
A former high school and college football player from Louisiana was another victim who died after the truck driver accelerated and crashed into the crowd, according to an education official.
Tiger Bech, 28, died late Wednesday morning at a New Orleans hospital, according to local media, citing Kim Broussard, the athletic director of St. Thomas More in Lafayette, La. Bech attended high school, where he played. wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner and defensive back, Nola.com said.
Bech’s LinkedIn profile said he played football at Princeton University before graduating in 2021. He most recently worked as an investment trader at a New York brokerage firm.
Princeton football coach Bob Surace said Wednesday that he had been texting Bech’s father, sharing memories of the player, who was a wide receiver and wide receiver at the school from 2017 to 2019.
“He might be the first Tiger to play for us, and that nickname describes him as a competitor,” Surace told ESPN. The nickname of the school is the Tigers. “He was someone who somehow, like in key moments, just excelled and was full of energy, full of life,” Surace said.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old Texas man suspected of crashing a truck into a New Orleans New Year’s Eve party, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more, was a veteran of the American army that later worked in real estate. according to officials and public records. The FBI believes that Jabbar, who was killed in a shootout with police after the vehicle attack, was “not solely responsible,” and they are looking for accomplices.
Bech worked at Seaport Global, where company spokeswoman Lisa Lieberman could not confirm his death. But he told the Associated Press that “he was extremely well regarded by all who knew him.”
Bech’s younger brother, Jack, is a wide receiver at Texas Christian University.
In response to a KLFY-TV report published on X about the death of Tiger Bech, a post from an account for a Jack Bech on the social media site said: “I still love you bro! You have me inspired every day now you come with me at any time I had this family T, do not worry.
Nicole Perez
Another victim was identified as Nicole Perez, 28, the mother of a four-year-old boy from Metaire, La., who had just moved into a new apartment. He also recently had a promotion at work, as manager of a restaurant in Metaire.
Perez was out with friends on New Year’s Eve when she was struck by the truck driven by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a US-born citizen from Texas. Investigators are still looking into what motivated the US Army veteran, who had an ISIS flag from his truck, to run into the crowd.
“She was a really good mother,” said her boss, Kimberly Usher, who started a GoFundMe account to cover Perez’s burial costs and to help with expenses for her son who “will need to move on to a new life situation”, the donation. question says.
Hubert Gauthreaux
Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, was identified by his former high school, Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, La., as among those killed on Bourbon Street.
“It is with great sadness that we share that alumnus Hubert Gauthreaux, Class of 2021, was tragically killed in the senseless act of violence that occurred earlier this morning in the French Quarter,” the school said in a statement. on Facebook.
“We ask the entire family of Archbishop Shaw to pray for the repose of Hubert’s soul, his family and friends at this difficult time, and all those affected by this tragedy.”
Meanwhile, the FBI says it recovered the black Islamic State flag from the truck used in the attack. The investigation is expected to look at any support or inspiration Jabbar may have drawn from that violent group based in the Middle East or any of at least 19 offshoots around the world.
US President Joe Biden says the FBI told him that “just hours before the attack, (Jabbar) posted videos on social media indicating he was inspired” by the Islamic State group.
The FBI says it is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism and does not believe the driver acted alone.
Investigators found guns and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the vehicle along with other devices elsewhere in the French Quarter.
Sugar Bowl rescheduled
The Sugar Bowl of the college football quarterfinals was rescheduled from Wednesdayon Thursday night at 3 pm local time at the Caesars Superdome because of the attack, which happened just over a kilometer away from the stadium.
Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley says all parties agreed it was in the best interest of public safety to postpone the game. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he will attend and is confident the area around the stadium will be safe.
“Our primary focus is to make the city safe going forward,” New Orleans city council member Jean-Paul Morrell told CBC News on Thursday.
He said fans should expect to spend more time clearing checkpoints at the stadium, “because we’re trying to make everyone safe after this event.”
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2025-01-01 13:41:00
