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| ‘She was the sweetest person’: first details of New Orleans victims emerge | ‘She was the sweetest person’: first details of New Orleans victims emerge |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Victims identified include aspiring nurse, father of two and former football player | Victims identified include aspiring nurse, father of two and former football player |
| The victims of the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans include an 18-year-old aspiring nurse, a 37-year-old father of two and a 27-year-old former football player. | The victims of the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans include an 18-year-old aspiring nurse, a 37-year-old father of two and a 27-year-old former football player. |
| Authorities have not yet released the names of those killed in the suspected terrorist attack, which claimed at least 15 people, but details began to emerge in local media on Wednesday as family members spoke out. | Authorities have not yet released the names of those killed in the suspected terrorist attack, which claimed at least 15 people, but details began to emerge in local media on Wednesday as family members spoke out. |
| A fast-moving vehicle ploughed into the crowds of revellers celebrating the first hours of 2025 early on Wednesday morning. The gunman driving the vehicle also exchanged fire with police, before officers shot him dead. | |
| The attacker has been named as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old veteran from Texas. In addition to the 15 fatalities, dozens more people were injured, officials said. | The attacker has been named as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old veteran from Texas. In addition to the 15 fatalities, dozens more people were injured, officials said. |
| Local media in New Orleans identified the first known victims, including a Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, who had traveled to New Orleans from nearby Gulfport, Mississippi, with a cousin and a friend; Reggie Hunter, a 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Tiger Bech, a 27-year-old Lafayette, Louisiana, native and former football player. A fourth victim was named as Nicole Perez, a 28-year-old mother and delicatessen manager from Metairie, Louisiana, who was celebrating the new year with friends. Later on Wednesday, Hubert Gauthreaux and Kareem Badawi were identified as victims by their former high schools. | Local media in New Orleans identified the first known victims, including a Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, who had traveled to New Orleans from nearby Gulfport, Mississippi, with a cousin and a friend; Reggie Hunter, a 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Tiger Bech, a 27-year-old Lafayette, Louisiana, native and former football player. A fourth victim was named as Nicole Perez, a 28-year-old mother and delicatessen manager from Metairie, Louisiana, who was celebrating the new year with friends. Later on Wednesday, Hubert Gauthreaux and Kareem Badawi were identified as victims by their former high schools. |
| Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux graduated from Harrison Central high school in Gulfport in 2024 and was due to start a nursing program at Blue Cliff College later this month. | Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux graduated from Harrison Central high school in Gulfport in 2024 and was due to start a nursing program at Blue Cliff College later this month. |
| Melissa Dedeaux, her mother, told Nola.com: “She was the sweetest person. She would give you anything, anything.” She said her daughter had apparently been hit by the speeding truck after running at the sound of gunfire. | Melissa Dedeaux, her mother, told Nola.com: “She was the sweetest person. She would give you anything, anything.” She said her daughter had apparently been hit by the speeding truck after running at the sound of gunfire. |
| “Cheyenne was a very smart and outgoing girl,” she added. “She’s never gotten into any trouble.” | “Cheyenne was a very smart and outgoing girl,” she added. “She’s never gotten into any trouble.” |
| After finishing work on New Year’s Eve, Hunter decided to head to Bourbon Street “on a whim” to celebrate the new year with a cousin, Shirell Jackson, his family told Nola.com. | After finishing work on New Year’s Eve, Hunter decided to head to Bourbon Street “on a whim” to celebrate the new year with a cousin, Shirell Jackson, his family told Nola.com. |
| According to the outlet, Bech was hit by the suspect’s truck, said Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St Thomas More Catholic high school, where he played football before going on to play for Princeton University. | According to the outlet, Bech was hit by the suspect’s truck, said Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St Thomas More Catholic high school, where he played football before going on to play for Princeton University. |
| He graduated from Princeton in 2021 and worked as a trader at a New York brokerage firm, according to Broussard. | He graduated from Princeton in 2021 and worked as a trader at a New York brokerage firm, according to Broussard. |
| The suburban New Orleans Catholic high school Archbishop Shaw said its class of 2021 alum Hubert Gauthreaux “was tragically killed in the senseless act of violence that occurred early [Wednesday] morning in the French Quarter”. | The suburban New Orleans Catholic high school Archbishop Shaw said its class of 2021 alum Hubert Gauthreaux “was tragically killed in the senseless act of violence that occurred early [Wednesday] morning in the French Quarter”. |
| “He was 21 years old,” Shaw’s statement said of Gauthreaux. The statement also asked the community “to pray for the repose of Hubert’s soul”. | “He was 21 years old,” Shaw’s statement said of Gauthreaux. The statement also asked the community “to pray for the repose of Hubert’s soul”. |
| Meanwhile, Episcopal high school in Louisiana’s capital city, Baton Rouge, said its class of 2024 alum Kareem Badawi was killed in Wednesday’s attack. Badawi was in the middle of his freshman year at the University of Alabama – where he had pledged to join the Sigma Chi fraternity – when he was killed on Sunday, AL.com reported. | |
| The university’s president, Stuart R Bell, said, “I grieve alongside family and friends of Kareem in their heartbreaking loss.” | |
| On Facebook, Badawi’s father, Belal, expressed “great sadness and grief” over his son’s death, adding: “We ask Allah almighty to shower his mercy on him and give us patience and strength to overcome.” | |
| Another of its former students was injured, the school said in a statement, the local NBC affiliate WDSU reported. | |
| A man named Matthew Tenedorio was also among the dead in the attack, according to a GoFundMe campaign established by his family in his memory. The fundraiser’s page descried him as a graduate of Pearl River Central High from Carriere, Mississippi, which is about 60 miles north of New Orleans. | A man named Matthew Tenedorio was also among the dead in the attack, according to a GoFundMe campaign established by his family in his memory. The fundraiser’s page descried him as a graduate of Pearl River Central High from Carriere, Mississippi, which is about 60 miles north of New Orleans. |
| Tenedorio was described as being an audiovisual technician for the Caesars Superdome, which was set to host the 2025 edition of the Sugar Bowl football game between the universities of Notre Dame and Georgia on Wednesday night – a contest that was postponed until Thursday because of the attack. | Tenedorio was described as being an audiovisual technician for the Caesars Superdome, which was set to host the 2025 edition of the Sugar Bowl football game between the universities of Notre Dame and Georgia on Wednesday night – a contest that was postponed until Thursday because of the attack. |
| “He played a crucial role in creating memorable experiences for countless fans and event-goers,” the GoFundMe page in his honor said. | “He played a crucial role in creating memorable experiences for countless fans and event-goers,” the GoFundMe page in his honor said. |
| The page said Tenedorio “made lasting memories and friendships” during his time at Pearl River Central. “Matthew was always one to lighten the mood, able to laugh off life’s challenges and spread positivity wherever he went.” | |
| Ramon Antonio Vargas contributed reporting | Ramon Antonio Vargas contributed reporting |
| Ramon Antonio Vargas contributed reporting | Ramon Antonio Vargas contributed reporting |