At least 10 people were killed and around 30 injured in a vehicle-ramming attack in New Orleans, Louisiana, during New Year’s celebrations.
A little after 3 a.m. Wednesday night, a man was driving a pickup truck on Bourbon Street at a very fast speed
said the superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, Anne Kirkpatrick, at a press conference.
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New Orleans Police Department Chief Anne Kirkpatrick spoke to the media Wednesday morning.
Photo : Associated Press / Gerald Herbert
This was intentional behavior. This man was trying to grab as many people as he could.
She reiterated that this was not a case of impaired driving. He went around our barricades in order to [passer à l’acte]. He was relentless in creating the carnage and damage he did.
The number of injured is, for the moment, at least 35 people, she continued. Most of the victims are believed to be residents of the region.
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Police investigators inspect a white truck that crashed into a mobile aerial platform in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, January 1, 2025.
Photo : Getty Images / AFP / MATTHEW HINTON
Two police officers injured by gunfire
The suspect also opened fire on the police from his vehicle, after crashing it. Two officers were hit by the gunfire and are in stable condition, Kirkpatrick said.
Home-made explosive devices were reportedly found in the vehicle and are currently being analyzed to determine whether they were indeed functional.
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-Police officers gather at the scene of a vehicular attack in New Orleans.
Photo : Associated Press / Gerald Herbert
More than 300 agents had been deployed on the ground in anticipation of the New Year festivities.
This tragedy occurs a few hours before the holding of the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, an NCAA football championship game between the universities of Georgia and Notre Dame.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell asked people to pray for those who lost their lives in this tragedy
.
She also described the attack as terrorist
during a press conference to provide an update on the situation to the media. The FBI spokesperson at his side, Alethea Duncan, quickly corrected the situation by clarifying that it was not a terrorist event
.
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Police cordon off the area around the site of the nighttime attack in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, January 1, 2025.
Photo : Getty Images / AFP / MATTHEW HINTON
The FBI is responsible for investigating.
The authorities’ next press briefing will be held at 11 a.m.
Another car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killed five people and injured 200 others on December 20.
