A horrific attack unfolded in New Orleans’ French Quarter early on New Year’s Day when a driver crashed his truck into a crowd at high speed and then opened fire, resulting in at least 10 deaths and more than 35 injuries, according to city officials and police.
At a televised press conference on Wednesday, Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick described the attack as deliberate and violent. “This man was trying to run over as many people as he could,” she said. “He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
The incident occurred at approximately 3:15 a.m. at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Streets, a popular area in the French Quarter known for its vibrant nightlife and large crowds during New Year’s celebrations.
Kirkpatrick reported that the driver, after crashing the vehicle, began firing at police officers and struck two of them. Fortunately, the officers are in stable condition, she confirmed. At the time of the attack, more than 300 officers were on duty for New Year’s festivities, including the Sugar Bowl, an annual college football game held in the city.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the event a “terrorist attack,” though an FBI official later contradicted this, stating that the incident did not meet the criteria of terrorism. Alethea Duncan, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, clarified, saying, “This is not a terrorist event.” She also confirmed that an improvised explosive device (IED) was found at the scene and that authorities were working to determine its viability.
Graphic video footage taken by a bystander shows the aftermath of the attack, with two bodies seen lying in the street, one in a pool of blood. Military personnel in green uniforms, armed with firearms, are also visible in the footage.
Governor Jeff Landry of Louisiana expressed his shock at the violence, calling it a “horrific act of violence” and urging people to avoid the area. “Stay away from the site where the attack occurred,” he wrote on social media.
Victims were transported to multiple hospitals across the city, with emergency response teams quickly mobilizing. The city’s emergency preparedness department, NOLA Ready, reported that at least five hospitals received the injured.
The White House issued a statement expressing solidarity with the victims, confirming that President Joe Biden had reached out to the mayor’s office to offer federal support.
Witnesses described hearing loud crashing noises before witnessing the truck barreling through a barricade at high speed. A couple who spoke to CBS News said they saw the vehicle slam into the crowd with force.
This is not the first violent incident of its kind in New Orleans. In November 2024, two people were killed and ten injured in separate shootings during a parade. The city also saw a similar incident in February 2017 when a drunk driver drove into a crowd of spectators at a Mardi Gras parade, injuring more than 20 people.
The investigation into this latest attack is ongoing, with authorities working to understand the full scope of the event and determine the motive behind it.
With inputs from Reuters.