Man Goes On Deadly Rampage, Kills 10, Injuries 30+ At New Year’s Eve Event In New Orleans

At least 10 persons have been killed and more than 30 injured as a man drove a speeding truck into a New Year’s Eve celebration on Bourbon Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter early on Wednesday.

The man reportedly armed was said to have fired shots on ramming into the celebration ground before being shot and killed by police in what the FBI is calling a terrorist assault.

“We are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in a late-morning statement.

According to report in USA Today, the pick-up truck crashed into the crowd at high speed around 3:15 a.m. and within moments the driver started firing on police officers from inside the vehicle, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said at an early morning news conference.

Two officers were shot and are now being treated in stable condition, the report said.

Police confirmed with USA TODAY that the driver was fatally shot by police.

“Perpetrator was shot by NOPD officers and killed,” said Karen Boudrie, public relations specialist with New Orleans police.

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New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell told reporters that the driver was on a mission to kill as many people as possible.

“He was hell bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did . . . This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could. It was not a DUI situation,” Cantrell said.

Hundreds of police officers were in the city for New Year’s Eve duty when the assault happened, Cantrell said. The driver of the truck swerved around barricades on his way into the crowd, she said.

“Last night, we had over 300 officers out here, and because of the intentional mindset of this perpetrator who went around our barricades in order to conduct this,” the mayor said.

Bourbon Street is a nightlife hub that draws thousands for New Year’s Eve celebrations in New Orleans. The city is also due to host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Georgia Bulldogs today in the Sugar Bowl, a classic college football playoff quarterfinals annual match at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

The FBI has taken over the investigation. Alethea Duncan, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans office, said that “an improvised explosive device was found” and the FBI is working to determine whether “it’s a viable device or not.”

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Police attend the scene where a pickup truck drove into a large crowd on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. January 1, 2025 in this screengrab taken from a video.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the attack, according to the White House.

(This article, except rejiggered headline, originally appeared on USA TODAY)