The New Orleans coroner has identified most victims of the tragic truck attack on New Year’s Day, shedding light on their backgrounds and ages.
New Orleans: The coroner’s office has shared the names of most of the 14 people who lost their lives in that awful truck attack on Bourbon Street during New Year’s celebrations.
It turns out that over half of the victims were from the New Orleans area or nearby Louisiana towns. Others came from places like Alabama, Mississippi, and New Jersey. The ages of those confirmed dead ranged from 18 to 63 years old.
Sadly, the coroner noted that all died from blunt force injuries caused by the truck, even though there were initial reports suggesting some might have been shot. Two victims, including a British citizen, are still unidentified as their families are working on arrangements.
Among the confirmed victims were Drew Dauphin, 26, from Alabama, and Kareem Badawi, 18, from Baton Rouge. Others included Nicole Perez, 27, from Metairie, and William DiMaio, 25, from New Jersey. Families have been sharing their grief with the media as they come to terms with their losses.
The attacker, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, also injured 35 others, including two police officers, before he was shot by law enforcement. Investigators believe he came from Houston and had set up bombs around Bourbon Street before the attack.
Jabbar crashed into a construction lift and was killed in a shootout with police. Before all this, he had even set fire to the rental home he was staying in, which raised alarms in the neighborhood.
Interestingly, the city had barriers designed to prevent such attacks, but they were either down for repairs or not in place when Jabbar drove through a blockade. President Joe Biden expressed his condolences, emphasizing that there’s no excuse for such violence.
