Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies work the scene on Bourbon Street after at least 10 people were killed when a person reportedly drove into the crowd in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day on Jan. 1, 2025, in New Orleans. Dozens more were injured after a suspect in a rented pickup truck allegedly drove around barricades and through a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street. The suspect then got out of the car, opened fire on police officers, and was subsequently killed by law enforcement. (Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS — Authorities have identified the man who sped down Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, of Texas was killed after a shootout with police once his pickup truck collided with a lift vehicle at the intersection of Bourbon and Conti streets, the FBI has confirmed. He reportedly drove around a police barricade at Canal Street, intentionally striking pedestrians.
After Jabbar struck a lift vehicle, the FBI said he shot at law enforcement on the scene and was killed by return fire. Two police officers were wounded in the shootout and taken to University Medical Center, where New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said they were in stable condition.
Another 35 people struck by the truck were also injured and taken to local hospitals, with some reported in critical condition.
Alethea Duncan, the FBI’s assistant special agent in charge for the New Orleans district, said Jabbar is a U.S.-born citizen and an Army veteran. The FBI is leading the investigation into what the agency said is calling a terrorist attack.
A potential improvised explosive device (IED) was also discovered at the scene, and a flag for the jihadist Islamic State group was found in the truck, along with other firearms, according to the FBI.
Two other explosive devices were found in the French Quarter, with controlled detonations heard block away from the area.
Duncan said it is believed others were involved with the attack but did not elaborate on how many other people are being investigated.
At around 3:15 a.m., the driver of the truck steered around a police barricade at Canal Street meant to keep vehicles off of Bourbon Street and sped into a crowd, Kirkpatrick said. It appears the truck was able to travel three blocks before colliding with a lift vehicle near Conti Street.
“He was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” the police chief said.
Steel bollards that rise from the street were installed along and near Bourbon Street in 2017 to protect pedestrians, but they are in the process of being replaced according to the city’s Department of Public Works website.
Bomb squad personnel were seen entering the French Quarter, which the FBI said is being scoured for additional explosive devices. Several small booms have been heard blocks away, which City Council members said were controlled detonations to clear possible IEDs.
An eight-block stretch of Bourbon Street remains closed to traffic and pedestrians, and some hotels in the French Quarter were evacuated as a precautionary measure. The public is being asked to avoid a large portion of the historic neighborhood, which typically sees crowds larger than typical weekends for New Year’s Eve.
New Orleans is hosting fans of the University of Georgia and Notre Dame for the Sugar Bowl, scheduled for Wednesday night at the Superdome. Representatives with the event have said they are speaking with local, state and federal authorities to keep apprised of developments.
Hospitality and service industry employees reporting for work Wednesday morning were being turned away from cordoned-off areas.
The city will also host Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9.
Who is the Bourbon Street terror attack suspect?
The man the FBI said was behind the wheel of a pickup truck that killed at least 15 people and injured 35 more Wednesday morning on Bourbon Street was a military veteran and former real estate agent from Texas.
There are no apparent long-term ties between Shamsud-Din Jabbar and Louisiana. He recently told his landlord in Houston that he was planning to move to New Orleans, The Times-Picayune reported.
Jabbar held a real estate license in Texas from 2018-23, according to a state records database. In a video posted to YouTube, he identified himself as a property manager for the Midas Group Blue Meadow Properties Inc.
Online records show Jabbar also worked with Deloitte, the international financial services firm.
The FBI confirmed that Jabbar was born in the United States and served in the Army. There was no immediate response from the U.S. Department of Defense to a request for information on Jabbar’s military background, with the federal government recognizing the New Year’s Day holiday.
Georgia State University confirmed Jabbar attended school there from 2015-17 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. An article from the campus newspaper posted online indicated that his tuition was covered through the GI Bill.
Court records in Texas show Jabbar filed for divorce from his wife in Fort Bend County, Texas in July 2020. A notice of nonsuit to dismiss the case was filed the following month. Jabbar listed a Beaumont, Texas, address on the petition.
An Islamic State flag hung from a pole attached to the trailer hitch of the pickup truck Jabbar drove onto Bourbon Street. The FBI is looking into his connections to the jihadist organization or any other terror groups.
Authorities have not identified anyone else they believe might have collaborated on the terror attack with Jabbar, nor have they said how many other people they think were involved.
Wes Muller contributed to this report.
Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.
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