An 18-year-old girl with dreams of becoming a nurse, a father of two and a former Princeton football star were among those killed in New Orleans as the driver of a white pickup truck sped down Bourbon Street packed with holiday revelers early Wednesday morning.
Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people who died in the New Year's Day truck attack, but their families and friends have begun sharing their stories.
New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna issued a statement late Wednesday that the names of the deceased would be released after autopsies are completed and interviews with next of kin are complete. About 30 people were injured in the attack. Here are the names of some of the victims:
Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux
Zion Parsons of Gulfport, Missouri, was celebrating New Year's Eve on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter when a pickup truck drove up and hit his friend, Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, who he said dreamed of becoming a nurse.
“The truck hit the corner and went over it, throwing people out like a movie scene, throwing them up in the air,” Parsons, 18, told The Associated Press. “He hit her and threw her at least 30 feet and I was lucky to survive.”
The driver bypassed a police roadblock and drove into revelers before being shot dead by police during an exchange of shots. Parsons described the gruesome aftermath of bleeding and mutilated victims, hearing gunshots and the sounds of explosions.
“Bodies, bodies all over the street, everybody screaming and screaming,” Parsons said. “People are crying on the floor as if their brains are scattered all over the earth. It was just madness, the closest thing to a war zone I've ever seen.”
Parsons stated that Dedeaux was a responsible daughter and helped care for her siblings. Dedeaux also worked at a hospital, about to start college and work toward her goal of becoming a registered nurse.
“She had her way of thinking — she didn't have it all figured out, but she had a plan in place,” Parsons said.
Reggie Hunter
Reggie Hunter, 37, a father of two from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was also among those killed Wednesday on Bourbon Street in what officials say was an act of terror.
Hunter had just left work and headed to New Year's Eve with his cousin when the attack occurred, his cousin Shirell Jackson told Nola.com.
Jackson said Hunter was killed and his cousin was injured.
Tiger Beech
Another victim was a Louisiana professional high school and college soccer player who was killed after a truck driver accelerated and plowed into a crowd, according to an education official.
According to local media, 27-year-old Tiger Bech died late Wednesday morning at a New Orleans hospital, citing Kim Broussard, athletic director at St. Paul Catholic High School. Thomas More in Lafayette in Lafayette. Bech attended this high school, where he played wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner and defensive back, according to Nola.com.
Bech's LinkedIn profile shows that he played football for Princeton University before graduating in 2021. Most recently, he worked as an investment trader at a New York brokerage firm.
Princeton football coach Bob Surace said Wednesday that he had been texting Bech's father, sharing memories of the 2017-2019 player returning to the school and taking kicks.
“He might be the first Tiger to play for us, and that nickname kind of describes him as a competitor,” Surace told ESPN. The school's nickname is the Tigers. “He was someone who somehow, like in key moments, just stood out and was full of energy and life,” Surace said.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old Texas man suspected of driving a truck into New Year's Eve revelers in New Orleans, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens of others, was a U.S. Army veteran who later worked in the real estate industry, according to officials and public registers. The FBI believes Jabbar, who died in a shootout with police after the vehicle attack, was “not solely responsible” and is looking for accomplices.
Bech worked at Seaport Global, where company spokeswoman Lisa Lieberman could not confirm his death. But she told The Associated Press that “he was extremely well-regarded by everyone who knew him.”
Bech's younger brother, Jack, is a top winger at Texas Christian University.
In response to a KLFY-TV report published in X about the death of Tiger Bech, a post from Jacek Bech's social media account read: “I always love you, brother! You inspired me every day, now you can be with me anytime, I have this family, don't worry, it's for us.
Nicole Perez
Another victim was identified as Nicole Perez, 28, the mother of a four-year-old boy from Metairie, Los Angeles, who had just moved into a new apartment. She also recently got a promotion at work as a deli manager in Metairie.
Perez was out with friends on New Year's Eve when she was hit by a truck driven by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a US-born Texas citizen. Investigators are still looking for a reason why a US Army veteran who was flying an ISIS flag on his truck drove into the crowd.
“She was a really good mom,” said her boss, Kimberly Usher, who set up a GoFundMe account to cover Perez's burial costs and help with expenses for her son, who “will have to navigate a new life situation,” the donation request says.
Hubert Gauthreaux
Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, was identified by his former high school, Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, Louisiana, as one of those killed on Bourbon Street.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that alumnus Hubert Gauthreaux, a member of the class of 2021, was tragically killed in a senseless act of violence that occurred this morning in the French Quarter,” the school said in a statement on Facebook.
“We ask the entire family of Archbishop Shaw to pray for the repose of the soul of Hubert, his family and friends at this difficult time and all those affected by this tragedy.”
Meanwhile, the FBI says it has recovered a stark black Islamic State flag from the truck used in the attack. The investigation is expected to examine any support or inspiration Jabbar may have drawn from the brutal Middle Eastern group or any of its at least 19 offshoots around the world.
US President Joe Biden says the FBI told him that “just hours before the attack, (Jabbar) posted videos on social media indicating he was inspired” by the Islamic State group.
The FBI says it is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism and does not believe the driver acted alone.
Investigators found a gun and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the vehicle, as well as other devices elsewhere in the French Quarter.
The sugar bowl has been moved
The quarterfinals of the Sugar Bowl college football playoffs took place postponed from WednesdayFriday through Thursday at 3 p.m. local time at the Caesars Superdome in connection with the attack, which occurred just over a mile from the stadium.
Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley says all parties agreed it was in the best interest of public safety to pause the game. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry says he will be present and is confident the area around the stadium will be safe.
“Our primary goal is to keep the city safe in the future,” New Orleans City Council member Jean-Paul Morrell told CBC News on Thursday.
He said fans should expect more time to clear stadium checkpoints “as we work to keep everyone safe following this event.”