Dr. Jeffrey Elder of the University Medical Center New Orleans informed ABC News Live on Thursday that the death toll is not expected to exceed 15 people. Currently, there are 16 individuals hospitalized at University Medical Center New Orleans, with eight in intensive care.
Officials stated that Jabbar was determined to cause harm and drove a pickup truck onto a sidewalk, bypassing a police car barricade, to strike pedestrians. The suspect went on to target numerous individuals along a three-block area while also firing into the crowd.
Following the incident, Jabbar emerged from the damaged vehicle armed with both an assault rifle and a handgun, engaging in a shootout with law enforcement. Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, was subsequently killed by officers, with two officers sustaining injuries during the altercation.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick mentioned that security bollards were not functional due to ongoing replacement work for the upcoming Super Bowl event.
The FBI in New Orleans discovered improvised explosive devices and other weapons within the pickup truck, along with additional IEDs in the French Quarter, all of which were rendered safe. Investigations are ongoing in various locations, including a residence in Houston, as authorities conduct court-authorized search warrants.
President Joe Biden disclosed that the FBI had informed him of social media posts by Jabbar aligning with ISIS ideology and expressing violent intentions, just hours before the attack. Biden also noted Jabbar’s military service background in the Army.
Numerous vehicles and individuals gather in the vicinity of the site where a vehicle plowed into a crowd during New Year’s festivities in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 1, 2025. The FBI is currently analyzing the videos mentioned by President Biden in his statements, videos that the suspect purportedly recorded while driving from Texas to Louisiana, as confirmed by law enforcement sources to ABC News.
Although the videos are dimly lit preventing visibility of the suspect, his voice is audible discussing his divorce and expressing a desire to harm members of his family before ultimately deciding to carry out the attack on Bourbon Street, according to the law enforcement sources. Additionally, the suspect can be heard mentioning ISIS.
An undated photo of Shamsud-Din Jabbar was released by the FBI in relation to this incident. Further reports indicate that the investigation into the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, currently being probed as a potential act of terror, does not show any direct link to the New Orleans attack, as disclosed by an official source.
Tragically, the driver of the Cybertruck was fatally injured while seven bystanders sustained minor injuries, as confirmed by authorities. While the motive behind this incident is still under scrutiny, investigators informed ABC News that it is believed to have been intentional.
It has been revealed that the Cybertruck, similar to the truck used in the New Orleans attack, was rented through the Turo app, according to sources familiar with the matter. The Cybertruck driver possessed a background in the Army special forces; however, there is no indication of any connection between him and the suspect in the New Orleans incident based on information provided by an official briefed on the investigation.
The circumstances surrounding these events continue to evolve, and updates will be provided as the story progresses. According to sources, police do not suspect any additional suspects were involved in the New Orleans attack.
This article was originally published on abcnews.go.com.
