New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans took a devastating turn early Wednesday morning when an unidentified suspect drove an SUV into a crowd on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. The incident left at least 10 people dead and 30 others injured, according to AFP, citing city authorities.
Videos circulating online show a group of New Orleans police officers rushing to the scene after receiving reports of the incident.
The video shows officers initially standing and chatting in another part of the French Quarter before quickly springing into action. They navigated through crowds of unaware pedestrians along the bustling streets of Bourbon Street.
Footage from EarthCam Live captured the moment they appeared to respond to a radio alert, rushing to the scene of the chaos.
Witnesses said that a truck drove into a crowd, after which the driver got out and started shooting, leading to police firing back. The suspect died during the exchange of gunfire.
“He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did. It was very intentional behavior. This man was trying to run over as many people as he could,” said police commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick.
Two police officers were shot after the driver left the truck are now in stable condition, Kirkpatrick added. The FBI has also reported finding a suspected improvised explosive device at the location.
Witnesses told CBS News they observed the truck moving at high velocity down Bourbon Street, breaking through barricades before the driver left the vehicle and opened fire on officers.
“We heard crashing noises, then gunshots,” said Nicole Mowrer, who was visiting New Orleans from Iowa. “We saw a lot of people who had been hit, but no apparent gunshot wounds,” he added.
Another witness, Kevin Garcia told CNN that, “A body came flying at me,” noting that disorder erupted as shots were fired.
The FBI has taken charge of the investigation, though authorities have not provided details about the driver’s identity or a possible motive. While the city’s mayor described the incident as a ‘terrorist attack’, the FBI contradicted this assessment, stating that “this is not a terrorist event.”
