After running people over, the driver got out of the vehicle and opened fire at police, witnesses have said
FILE PHOTO: A police vehicle at Bourbon Street in New Orleans. © Getty Images / Sean Gardner
At least ten people have been killed and dozens more injured after an SUV ran into a crowd celebrating New Year in New Orleans, Louisiana, the city authorities have said.
The incident occurred in the city’s French Quarter at around 3:15 am local time, WGNO said on Wednesday. The area, which has numerous bars and restaurants, is popular with tourists.
“There are 30 injured patients that have been transported by NOEMS [New Orleans Emergency Medical Services] and ten fatalities,” NOLA Ready, the New Orleans official disaster preparedness agency, said in a statement.
A New Orleans Police spokesperson told CBS News earlier that “initial reports show a car may have plowed into a group of people. Injuries are unknown, but there are reported fatalities.”
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry described what happened at Bourbon Street as “a horrific act of violence.” He wrote on X that he and his wife were praying for the victims and first responders. He also urged the public to avoid the area where the incident happened.
Dozens of police officers and paramedics have responded to the incident, which reportedly led to Bourbon Street being shut down.
The attack took place as New Orleans is preparing to host the Sugar Bowl on Wednesday night. The iconic college football game, which has been played in the city annually since 1935, gathers thousands of fans from around the US. This year, the University of Georgia and University of Notre Dame will compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
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01 January 2025
14:35 GMT
The FBI is now investigating the attack as “an act of terrorism,” Reuters has reported. While Mayor LaToya Cantrell initially referred to the massacre as a “terrorist attack,” the FBI contradicted her at the same briefing, stating that “this is not a terrorist event.”
- 14:14 GMT
Bomb squads have carried out at least one controlled demolition in the vicinity of Bourbon Street, according to unconfirmed reports shared by several media outlets. A photo shared on social media also showed what appeared to be an explosives team arriving on the street.
Bomb Squad Van arriving on Bourbon Street. pic.twitter.com/VazK6TijIX
— ꪑꪖ᥊ ℂarter (@MaxCantBeBroke) January 1, 2025
- 13:53 GMT
US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation in New Orleans, the White House said in a statement. “The FBI is already on the ground supporting local law enforcement in the investigation and the President will continue to be briefed throughout the day,” according to the statement.
Biden is currently at his family home in Wilmington, Delaware, where he has been on vacation since last week.
- 13:38 GMT
The man, who ran over people in New Orleans, is dead, Aubry Killion, a reporter for local broadcaster WDSU, wrote on X, citing unnamed sources.
Recent aerial view of Bourbon Street, New Orleans USA incident showing the scale of the attack and police response.At least 10 people are dead & another 30 others injured.FBI are attending and there are believed to be explosive devices (IEDs) present.Total madness ? pic.twitter.com/sGKwfsCuu5
— Politocrit (@Politocrit1) January 1, 2025
- 13:35 GMT
Two officers were wounded after the driver fired at them from his car, the superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, Anne Kirkpatrick, told journalists. Their condition is described as stable, she added.
According to Kirkpatrick, the man drove his pickup truck “down Bourbon Street at a very fast pace.” The suspect displayed “very intentional behavior,” as he was “trying to run over as many people as he possibly could,” she said.
- 13:13 GMT
FBI special agent Althea Duncan, who spoke later at the same briefing, contradicted the mayor, saying that “this is not a terrorist event.”
Duncan also said that objects that looked like “improvised explosive devices” had been found at the scene, with experts now working to establish if they are “viable.”
? At least 10 people are dead, and more than 30 injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Bourbon Street, before the driver exited the vehicle and started firing a weapon. pic.twitter.com/oMzlj9KlA5
— Alex Tiffin (@RespectIsVital) January 1, 2025
- 13:13 GMT
“We do know that the city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack,” New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell said during a press-conference, adding that the incident is still being investigated.
- 13:06 GMT
A man who claimed to have witnessed the event wrote on X that an SUV was “speeding” down the road and “running people over.”
Another witness told a CBS News reporter that after stopping his vehicle, the driver got out and started shooting at the police, with officers returning fire. According to the reporter, there were multiple people on the ground with injuries at the scene.
A man told CNN that he had seen “a truck slamming into everyone on the left side of Bourbon sidewalk… A body came flying at me.” He also said that he heard gunshots being fired.
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