(NewsNation) — Investigations continue into an “act of terrorism” in New Orleans’ bustling Canal and Bourbon streets after a truck drove into a crowd, killing 15 people and injuring at least 35 more.
The FBI said the agency plans to issue a statement about the victims once all families have been notified, but some of the victims’ friends and loved ones are already speaking out after the devastating incident.
New Orleans attack victims
Tiger Bech
Tiger Bech, 28, died in a hospital following the attack, Nexstar’s KLFY confirmed.
Bech was reportedly kept on life support until his family could arrive, according to Kim Broussard, the athletic director at his former school, St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, Louisiana.
A Princeton graduate, Bech worked at New York brokerage firm Seaport Global, according to his LinkedIn page.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to all of the victims of the Bourbon Street attack,” Princeton Football shared on X.
Nikyra Dedeaux
Zion Parsons of Gulfport, Mississippi, had been celebrating New Year’s Eve on his first night on Bourbon Street when a vehicle appeared and plowed into his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux, who he said had dreamed of becoming a nurse.
Parsons said Dedeaux was flung “at least 30 feet,” he told the Associated Press.
“People crying on the floor, like brain matter all over the ground. It was just insane, like the closest thing to a war zone that I’ve ever seen,” Parsons told the AP.
Dedeaux worked at a hospital and had plans to start college soon to become a nurse.
Reggie Hunter
Baton Rouge native Reggie Hunter was among those killed in the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, his cousin Shirell Jackson told NewsNation.
“He was loved by many. Excellent father, very supportive brother, supportive son, life of the party, great sense of humor, the one that made everybody laugh,” Jackson said.
Jackson told NewsNation it was “unfair and unjust” for Hunter’s life to be taken so early.
“We had heard that he was shot. That’s, that’s what we were going on. So I’m praying that, you know, maybe they’re doing surgery. … That’s when the doctors informed us that he succumbed to his internal injuries and that he was deceased.”
Hunter died from injuries sustained when he was run over, not by gunshot wounds, Jackson said.
At the hospital, she witnessed multiple families receiving similar news about their loved ones who were killed or injured in the attack.
Nicole Perez
Nicole Perez, in her late 20s, was a single mother of a 4-year-old son and a manager at Kimmy’s Deli in Metairie, Louisiana, her employer confirmed to the Associated Press.
Kimberly Usher, Perez’s manager, said she was “really excited” about her recent promotion. Usher confirmed Perez’s death through her sister, who also works there.
Matthew Tenedorio
Victim Matthew Tenedorio was “tragically shot and killed in the devastating terrorist attack in New Orleans,” a GoFundMe page verified to NewsNation reads.
“Matthew was a beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend whose laid-back spirit and infectious laughter brought joy to everyone around him,” the description reads.
Tenedorio was an audiovisual technician for the Caesars Superdome, located in New Orleans, according to the page.
New Orleans attack suspect
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, has been identified as the man who was shot and killed by police after the deadly New Year’s Day attack. In a Wednesday news conference, agency officials said they do not believe Jabbar acted alone.
The Associated Press reported that investigators have reviewed video of three men and a woman placing possible explosives in the area where Wednesday’s attack took place.
NewsNation’s Sean Noone, Caitlyn Shelton and Jeff Arnold contributed to this report.
