New Orleans, Jan 6 New Orleans mourned, wept and danced at a vigil Saturday evening along the famous thoroughfare where a man rammed a pickup truck into a crowd, killing and injuring revellers who were there to celebrate the new year.A makeshift memorial of crosses and pictures of the 14 deceased victims amassed with candles, flowers and teddy bears. Victims’ relatives held each other, some crying. But as a brass band began playing, the sorrow transformed into a celebration of life as the crowd snapped fingers, swayed and followed the music down Bourbon Street.
The coroner’s office listed the cause of death for all 14 victims as “blunt force injuries.” Beyond the deaths, authorities say about 30 other people suffered injuries in the attack early Wednesday by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a former US Army soldier who proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group in online videos posted hours before he struck.
Police fatally shot Jabbar, 42, during a firefight at the scene of the deadly crash on Bourbon Street, famous worldwide for its festive vibes in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter.
University Medical Center New Orleans spokesperson Carolina Giepert said 13 people remained hospitalised, with eight people in intensive care.
Cathy Tenedorio, who lost her 25-year-old son Matthew, said she was moved by the flood of condolences and kindness at Saturday’s vigil.
“This is the most overwhelming response of love, an outpouring of love. I’m floating through it all,” she said.
New Orleans native Autrele Felix, 28, left a handwritten card beside a memorial for his friend Nicole Perez, a single mother who was killed.
“It means a lot, to see that our city comes together when there’s a real tragedy,” Felix said. “We all become one.”
Others who crowded around the brass band said the best way to honour the victims was with a party.
“Because that’s what they were down here to do, they were having a good time,” life-long New Orleans resident Kari Mitten said.
President Joe Biden planned to travel to New Orleans with first lady Jill Biden on Monday to “grieve with the families and community members impacted by the tragic attack.”
Federal authorities searching Jabbar’s Houston home found a workbench in the garage and hazardous materials believed to have been used to make explosive devices, according to law enforcement officials familiar with the search.