At least 14 killed, dozens hurt on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as driver intentionally slams truck into crowd; attacker dead
Update: The FBI said Thursday, Jan. 2, there does not appear to be evidence of any accomplices. Read the latest on the investigation here.
A man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans' French Quarter in a deadly rampage early on New Year's Day. At least 14 people were killed before the attacker died in a shootout with police, officials said. Dozens of others were injured in the attack. A black ISIS flag was flying from the truck's rear bumper, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation called the attack an act of terrorism.
The man driving the vehicle has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas, the FBI said.
In televised remarks Wednesday evening, President Biden said the FBI has determined that just hours before the attack, Jabbar "posted videos to social media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill."
The vehicle was an electric Ford pickup truck that appears to have been rented, the FBI said. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said on social media Jabbar rented the truck on Dec. 30, while living in the Houston area, before heading to New Orleans.
FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia said at a news conference Thursday that the attack was an act of terrorism. "It was premeditated and an evil act," he said. While the FBI initially thought Jabbar may have had help carrying out the attack, Raia said that as of Thursday the bureau believes no one else was involved.
A person familiar with the investigation told CBS News that at this point, neither ISIS nor any other foreign terror organization has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attacker drove around barricades and up onto the sidewalk of Bourbon Street, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said, avoiding barriers that had been placed by police. Kirkpatrick said the man "was trying to run over as many people as he could."
"We had a car there, we had barriers there, we had officers there, and he still got around," Kirkpatrick said.
The man then exited the car and opened fire on officers, Raia said. He died after exchanging gunfire with three responding officers, the FBI said. He was struck by police fire and declared dead at the scene, the New Orleans Police Department said. Two police officers were hit by gunfire and treated at a hospital.
Weapons and two potential improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, were located in the vehicle, FBI Special Agent Alethea Duncan said at a news conference Wednesday.
On Thursday, Raia gave more details on the explosives, saying FBI bomb technicians found two functional IEDs in coolers in the area. Jabbar is seen placing the devices in surveillance video footage, Raia said. Both devices were rendered safe, and two other items were determined to not be IEDs, he said.
Kirkpatrick said police walked the area as a grid, looking for any suspicious items. Anyone who sees anything suspicious should contact officials, Duncan said.
Two law enforcement sources told CBS News that the suspect had an AR-15 style weapon and a handgun with him at the time of the truck attack. The long gun had a "suppressive device" on it that acted as a silencer, according to sources on the scene.
Two sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News the man was wearing body armor.
Investigators from the FBI, Homeland Security and bomb squad have all been on the scene at an Airbnb in the St. Roch area of New Orleans, where officials tell CBS News the suspect was staying while in New Orleans. That building caught fire on Wednesday and the investigation into that fire is ongoing.
Duncan asked that anyone with information about the man contact the FBI. A U.S. official confirmed to CBS News that he had previously served in the U.S. military.
Officials react to "horrific act of violence"
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called it "a horrific act of violence" and said he and his wife were "praying for all the victims and first responders on scene." He urged people to avoid the area.
"As of now, 15 people are deceased. It will take several days to perform all autopsies. Once we complete the autopsies and talk with the next of kin, we will release the identifications of the victims," New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said in a statement. The coroner's office later clarified that the 15 dead included the attacker.
The popular tourist district was full of New Year's Day revelers at the time of the attack.
Witnesses told CBS News reporter Kati Weis that a white truck crashed into people on Bourbon Street at high speed, and the driver then started firing a weapon from inside the vehicle, with police returning fire. Weis saw multiple people on the ground being treated for injuries near the intersection of Bourbon and Canal Streets.
The City of New Orleans said in a statement posted online that 30 people were transported to area hospitals with injuries and 10 people were confirmed dead. Kirkpatrick later said that at least 35 people were hospitalized.
"He was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did," Kirkpatrick said.
Duncan said the FBI will be leading the investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Justice Department's National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana will work with the FBI and local officials to support the investigation, Attorney General Merrick Garland said. Mr. Biden was briefed about the attack, the White House said, and his administration has been in touch with Cantrell to offer support.
Mr. Biden said in a statement he has directed his administration to "ensure every resource is available as federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind."
"My heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday," Mr. Biden said. "There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation's communities."
President-elect Donald Trump also acknowledged the attack in a post on TruthSocial.
"Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department," Trump said, in part.
Sugar Bowl postponed
The Sugar Bowl college football playoff game was set to be played at the nearby Superdome later Wednesday, but has been rescheduled for Thursday. Kirkpatrick said bomb sweeps have been conducted at the Superdome, and said the stadium would be locked down until the game.
Jeff Hundley, the chief executive officer of the Sugar Bowl, announced the delay at Thursday's news conference. More details about the rescheduled game will be available in the coming hours, he said.
"We live in the fun and games world, with what we do, but we certainly recognize the importance of this and we're going to support it 100%," Hundley said.
A student from the University of Georgia, one of the teams playing in the game, was "critically injured" in the attack, according to a statement from the school on social media. The student was not identified.
Witnesses attempted to help victims
Jim and Nicole Mowrer were in New Orleans visiting from Iowa and witnessed the incident. The couple told CBS News they had watched the city's fireworks display and were enjoying the New Year's Day atmosphere in the French Quarter when they heard crashing noises coming from down the street. They said they then saw a white truck slam through a barricade "at a high rate of speed," followed by gunfire and police. The couple said the truck hit people about a block away from where they had been walking.
"Once the gunfire stopped, we stayed in the alcove until the gunfire stopped, came out into the street, and came across a lot of — several people who had been hit, [we] wanted to see what we could do to help," Nicole Mowrer said. She said the couple found the victims had died.
The Mowrers said the victims they saw had injuries from the truck impact, and they did not see any apparent gunshot wounds. They said they left the area once emergency responders started arriving.
In a 2017 memo reviewed by CBS News, the city of New Orleans had acknowledged the risk of a mass casualty incident in the crowded, tourist-friendly French Quarter. The memo specifically referenced vehicle attacks in Nice, France, London, England and New York City. To minimize risk, the city said it planned to establish a camera and surveillance program, a centralized command center, more police patrols and infrastructure upgrades. The city had been in the process of upgrading the pedestrian bollard system in the French Quarter to modernize and bolster protections, with work ongoing through February.
