The driver who plowed into pedestrians celebrating the New Year in New Orleans, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens, died after a shootout with police.
Multiple sources have revealed that the man who drove his truck into the crowd on Bourbon Street died after getting out of his vehicle and starting shooting.
The gunman, whose identity has not yet been revealed, wounded two NOLA police officers during the shooting, who are in stable condition.
Authorities have not released any details about the gunman who killed at least 10 people early Wednesday, but witnesses say the suspect was “wearing full body armor” and “armed with an assault rifle.”
The suspect rammed into the large group at high speed, then got out and began firing a gun, witnesses said.
Investigators later added that they found what appeared to be improvised explosives at the crash site that did not detonate.
NOLA Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the man intentionally drove the truck into the crowd at high speed to cause chaos.
“It was very intentional behavior…this man was trying to run over as many people as he could,” he said. “He was hell-bent on creating the carnage he did.”
The driver who plowed into pedestrians celebrating the New Year in New Orleans, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens, has died following a shootout with police.
The suspect rammed into the large group at high speed, then got out and began firing a gun, witnesses said.
Kirkpatrick noted that “this was not a DUI situation and is” more complex and more serious based on the information we have at this time.
While New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the killings as a “terrorist attack,” FBI Special Agent Alethea Duncan said at the time that “it is not a terrorist event.”
Videos circulating on social media that appear to have been recorded at the scene showed multiple victims on the ground while gunshots could be heard in the background. People were also seen fleeing the scene.
Dozens of police responded to the attack and part of the road was cordoned off.
Paramedics and Forensic Service vehicles also attended the scene. Ambulances transported the injured to five area hospitals.