BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Two Baton Rouge men and a Lafayette man are among more than a dozen people killed during a terrorist attack on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day.
Reggie Hunter, 37, and Kareem Badawi were identified as the two from Baton Rouge killed.
Badawi was a 2024 graduate of Episcopal High in Baton Rouge. He had just finished his first semester of college at the University of Alabama, family confirms.
Kareem Badawi(Kareem Badawi/Instagram)
Parker Vidrine, also from Baton Rouge, and a 2024 Episcopal High graduate is listed in critical condition, school officials confirmed in a letter sent to families.
Parker Vidrine(Episcopal School of Baton Rouge)
Episcopal High leaders announced a prayer service will be taking place at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Lewis Family Memorial Chapel of the Good Shepherd for the Class of 2024 and any other community members who may want to attend.
Hunter, a father of two, and his cousin were both hit by a truck that was driven at a high rate of speed down Bourbon Street after deciding to bring in the New Year in New Orleans, according to family. Hunter died from his injuries. His cousin was among the dozens injured in the attack.
A GoFundMe has been created for Reggie Hunter. If you want to donate you can click on the link here.
RELATED: 10 dead, 35 injured as driver rams New Year’s revelers in New Orleans
Reggie Hunter(Shirell Jackson)
Tiger Bech, 28, from Lafayette, was also killed in the attack. Bech was also the older brother of Jack Bech, a former football player at LSU.
Bech was taken to a New Orleans hospital where he died late Wednesday morning, according to Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St. Thomas More Catholic High School. Bech played wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner, and defensive back at STM before going on to play football at Princeton. He graduated from Princeton in 2021 with a degree in finance and worked as a trader at a New York brokerage firm, according to Broussard. He was in New Orleans for the holidays.
Tiger Bech(Princeton Football)
The attack happened around 3:11 a.m. Wednesday, January 1, when the suspect identified as Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, bypassed barricades at high speed, targeting pedestrians in the area of Bourbon and Canal streets.
“This was not a DUI situation,” New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said. “This was intentional.
Kirkpatrick said that the man was attempting to take out as many people in their path as possible.
RELATED: 10 dead, 35 injured as driver rams New Year’s revelers in New Orleans
After bypassing barricades at Canal and Bourbon, the suspect, traveled almost three blocks down Bourbon Street, crossing Iberville and Bienville streets. He stopped when he collided with heavy machinery just before Conti Street.
Officials have identified the suspect in the Bourbon Street New Year’s Day attack as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar.(Texas DPW)
After crashing, he exited the vehicle and opened fire on responding police officers, injuring two who are listed in stable condition.
Jabbar, who authorities said was an Army veteran from Texas, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police at the scene. A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed.
Guns and pipe bombs were found in the vehicle, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.
The devices were concealed within coolers and wired for remote detonation, the bulletin said, and a corresponding remote control was discovered inside the vehicle.
It is unclear whether any other victims involved in the incident are from the Capital Area.
This story will be updated as we learn more information.
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