NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana Illuminator) — Authorities have identified the man who sped down Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens more.
Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, of Texas was killed after a shootout with police once his pickup truck collided with a lift vehicle at the intersection of Bourbon and Conti streets, the FBI has confirmed. He reportedly drove around a police barricade at Canal Street, intentionally striking pedestrians.
After Jabbar struck a lift vehicle, the FBI said he shot at law enforcement on the scene and was killed by return fire. Two police officers were wounded in the shootout and taken to University Medical Center, where New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said they were in stable condition.
Another 35 people struck by the truck were also injured and taken to local hospitals, with some reported in critical condition.
The FBI is leading the investigation into what the agency said is calling a terrorist attack. They reported possible improvised explosive devices were also discovered at the scene. A flag for the jihadist Islamic State group was found in the truck, along with other firearms.
At around 3:15 a.m., the driver of the truck steered around a police barricade at Canal Street meant to keep vehicles off of Bourbon Street and sped into a crowd, Kirkpatrick said. It appears the truck was able to travel three blocks before colliding with a lift vehicle near Conti Street.
“He was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” the police chief said.
Steel bollards that rise from the street were installed along and near Bourbon Street in 2017 to protect pedestrians, but they are in the process of being replaced according to the city’s Department of Public Works website.
Bomb squad personnel were seen entering the French Quarter, which the FBI said is being scoured for additional explosive devices. Several small booms have been heard blocks away, which City Council members said were controlled detonations to clear possible IEDs.
An eight-block stretch of Bourbon Street remains closed to traffic and pedestrians, and some hotels in the French Quarter were evacuated as a precautionary measure. The public is being asked to avoid a large portion of the historic neighborhood, which typically sees crowds larger than typical weekends for New Year’s Eve.
New Orleans is hosting fans of the University of Georgia and Notre Dame for the Sugar Bowl, scheduled for Wednesday night at the Superdome. Representatives with the event have said they are speaking with local, state and federal authorities to keep apprised of developments.
Hospitality and service industry employees reporting for work Wednesday morning were being turned away from cordoned-off areas.
The city will also host Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9.
