Federal law enforcement is investigating a mass casualty event in New Orleans as an “act of terrorism” after a truck was driven into crowds on a popular nightlife street in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
The FBI, which is leading the investigation, said Wednesday that the man who plowed into New Orleans’s famed Bourbon Street in the city’s French Quarter neighborhood is dead after killing 10 people and injuring dozens more.
New Orleans police superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick called the attack “very intentional” during a news conference Wednesday, suggesting the assailant was “hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage he did.”
She said the man drove a pick-up truck at high speed into crowds around 3:15 a.m. before crashing and then opening fire at police, shooting two officers, who are in stable condition. The assailant was killed by returned fire, according to the FBI.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland called the incident a “terrible tragedy” as the Justice Department vowed to deploy “every available resource” in conducting the probe.
“My heart is broken for those who began their year by learning people they love were killed in this horrific attack,” Garland said, “and my prayers are with the dozens who were injured, including the New Orleans Police Department Officers who risked their lives to save others.”
Those injured were taken to five local hospitals, according to NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness agency.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is also involved in the investigation. Officials were investigating at least one suspected improvised explosive device at the scene, according to FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan.
President Biden has been briefed on the matter and will continue to be briefed throughout the day, the White House said Wednesday.
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday,” Biden said in a statement posted to the social media platform X. “There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”
Bourbon Street is well known for its nightlife, and the city had prepared for large crowds celebrating New Year’s. The city also expected an influx of visitors for the College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame at the Caesars Superdome, scheduled for Wednesday.
Kirkpatrick said the suspect circumvented police barricades set up around the high-traffic area.
In the wake of the attack, national and Louisiana elected officials mourned the victims in statements online.
Gov. Jeff Landry (R) called the incident a “horrific act of violence” and offered prayers to the victims and first responders at the scene. The state’s attorney general, Liz Murrill (R), lamented the “brutal intentional slaughter of innocent people” celebrating the New Year in New Orleans and urged people to avoid the immediate area.
President-elect Trump decried America’s crime rate and blamed Democrats and the media for refuting his claims that “the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country.” Law enforcement have not yet released any details about the assailant, such as his citizenship status.
“Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!”
The Justice Department (DOJ)’s National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana will help federal and local law enforcement investigate.
