The death toll from Wednesday morning's attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans has risen from 10 to 15, according to the FBI.
The FBI said 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S.-born citizen and resident of Texas, plowed into a crowd of New Year’s revelers at the corner of Bourbon Street and Canal Street Wednesday morning, and that the incident was being investigated “as an act of terrorism.”
At a press conference Wednesday, officials said they didn’t believe he acted alone and they were looking for additional suspects.
The Associated Press reported that investigators obtained video showing four people– three men and a woman–placing an improvised explosive device at the scene, citing a Louisiana State Police bullet obtained by the outlet. FBI Special Agent Alethea Duncan, who is leading the investigation, said weapons and potential improvised explosive devices, IEDs, were located in the subject's vehicle, and other potential IEDs were found in the French Quarter. Two were rendered harmless, and the agency is still trying to determine whether the other devices are viable.
"We don’t believe Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates. That's why we need the public's help. We are asking if anybody has had interactions with Shamsud-Din Jabbar, in the last 72 hours, that you contact us,” Duncan said.
Police said 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S.-born citizen and resident of Texas, plowed into a crowd of New Year’s revelers at the corner of Bourbon Street and Canal Street Wednesday morning, killing 10 people and injuring dozens of others. The FBI said it was investigating the incident “as an act of terrorism.”
The FBI also revealed that Jabbar was an army veteran with an honorable discharge. Investigators said they found an ISIS flag in the vehicle, but the terror group has not claimed responsibility for the attack. Officials are looking into whether Jabbar had any accomplices or potential affiliations with terrorist organizations.
According to the FBI, he was driving a Ford pickup truck, which appears to have been rented. They’re trying to figure out how he came into possession of the vehicle.
Police said Jabbar died after exchanging gunfire with officers. Two officers were injured and both are in stable condition.
When journalists at the press conference asked how many potential accomplices the FBI was looking for and the total number of victims, Sen. John Kennedy and Gov. Jeff Landry told reporters not to ask those questions and to wait for the FBI to investigate. A reporter from the Wall Street Journal asked what made officials confident there were multiple suspects. “Why would we tell you that?” Landry responded.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said Jabbar sped down Bourbon and was trying to “run over as many people as possible.” He was not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and was “hellbent on creating carnage,” Kirkpatrick added.
Surveillance video shows Jabbar driving onto the sidewalk by going around a police car that was there to block traffic.
Jim Mowrer and his wife, Nicole, were visiting from Des Moines, Iowa, to celebrate New Year's Eve. As they were walking down Bourbon, the truck went into the crowd and narrowly missed them. Mowrer said they were able to jump out of the way into an alcove.
“I think we alone probably saw five, six, seven bodies in the road,” Mowrer said. “We approached them. Checked on them. The bodies we saw were very clearly deceased. We were hoping to provide some first aid to the bodies we came across but were very clearly deceased.”
Mowrer said the scene was chaotic and confusing, since many were unable to hear the truck racing toward them due to loud music blasting from nearby nightclubs.
“I think people were having a good time. Everyone was pretty happy and enjoying the holiday and the festivities,” Mowrer said. “People were just making their way down the street. And unfortunately, were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Thirty-five individuals were transported to local hospitals, with dozens being treated at University Medical Center, and others at Touro Hospital, Ochsner Baptist and Tulane Hospital. Officials said some of them were fighting for their lives. By 5 p.m., the death toll had risen to 15 people.
Police believe the majority of the victims are from New Orleans, though the exact number of locals versus out-of-town visitors remains unclear. They said those trying to reach loved ones who might have been in the area should call 311 instead of 911.
President Joe Biden said he’s been briefed by federal law enforcement, Homeland Security and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
“I am grateful for the brave and swift response of local law enforcement in preventing even greater death and injury. I have directed my team to ensure every resource is available as federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind,” Biden said in a press release.
Gov. Landry declared a state of emergency in Orleans Parish to aid with response efforts.
“We will not allow heinous acts of crime such as the one this morning to dampen the Louisiana spirit and ruin our way of life. This administration will not tolerate one of the jewel cities of the state to remain with these conditions. This state of emergency is a necessity in order to ensure that every single person, place, and street across the city of New Orleans is the most safe and secure in the world,” Landry said.
The governor ordered Louisiana to lower flags to half-staff at state buildings in honor of the victims.
The incident occurred just hours before the Allstate Sugar Bowl was scheduled to start. The game was postponed until Thursday.
The deadly attack has raised concerns about security for events around the stadium, which hosts the Super Bowl in February, and sits about a mile from the corner of Canal and Bourbon.
City Council President Helena Moreno said additional sweeps were happening Wednesday at the Superdome and across the Quarter.
"We’re ensuring full security for the upcoming game with increased presence and vigilance," Moreno added.
"He was very prepared to inflict horrific pain on the people on Bourbon Street,” Moreno said. “Even though there were 300 police officers there, someone as determined as this–additional police presence probably wouldn't have been something that prevented this.”
"We need to now move forward, look at those additional resources as to what are now the specific barriers that we need to put in for entering the French Quarter, Bourbon Street. Is it additional sand trucks? Is it the concrete barriers? What is it? That is being determined right now by Rodney Hyatt being the head of Troop NOLA and NOPD.”
Jabbar was an American citizen who lived in northwest Houston, according to his driver’s license records, and served in the U.S. military. Reporters and police were at the home on Wednesday.
It’s unclear where Jabbar was staying in New Orleans, but local TV station WDSU reports he might have been linked to an Airbnb in the St. Roch area. There was a heavy police presence on Mandeville Street as the home was evacuated Wednesday.
Calls to the owner of the Mandeville Street property were not returned.
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