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At least 10 killed after truck drives into large crowd in New Orleans
More than 30 others were injured in the incident. The driver had tried to "run over as many people as he possibly could", said a New Orleans police superintendent.
Multiple fatalities in New Orleans after vehicle drove into a crowd on New Year's Day. (Screengrab: Reuters)
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01 Jan 2025 07:43PM(Updated: 01 Jan 2025 09:52PM)
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Read a summary of this article on FAST.
FAST
At least 10 people were killed and more than 30 others injured after a truck drove into a large crowd in New Orleans early Wednesday morning (Jan 1).
NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness agency, said the "mass casualty incident" happened at about 3.15am (5.15pm Singapore time) on Canal Street and Bourbon Street.
At that hour, the area would been packed with revellers celebrating New Year in the French Quarter district, renowned for its bars, restaurants and jazz history.
Those who were injured were taken to five hospitals. "Public safety partners are responding on scene," NOLA Ready added.
It posted on social media urging those nearby to "get yourself away from the area".
The driver had tried to "run over as many people as he possibly could", said New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick.
He was "hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did".
"This man, this perpetrator, he fired on our officers from his vehicle when he crashed his vehicle. Two of our officers have been shot. They are stable," she added.
A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it is "not a terrorist event", and that improvised explosive devices were found.
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell said she is in contact with the White House about the incident. She also urged people to stay clear of the area.
In a post on X, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry called the incident "a horrific act of violence".
CBS News television reported witnesses saying a truck rammed into the crowd before its driver jumped out and started exchanging gunshots with police.
A white truck crashed through a barricade "at a high rate of speed," witnesses Jim and Nicole Mowrer told CBS.
"Once it was past us, we did hear gunfire, saw police running that direction," Nicole Mowrer said.
"Once the gunfire stopped, we stayed in the alcove until the gunfire stopped, came out into the street, and came across a lot of – several people who had been hit, (we) wanted to see what we could do to help."
One eyewitness told CNN he had seen a truck "slamming into everyone" on the pavement, adding that gunshots were also heard.
Another person told the US news outlet that people were "yelling and screaming" and running to the back of a nightclub that she was in. She added that the club went into "lockdown".
New Orleans is one of the most heavily visited destinations in the United States and the incident came shortly before the city hosts a major football game, known as the Sugar Bowl, featuring teams from the University of Georgia and Notre Dame.
Policing was heavy over the New Year's, according to the city, as authorities braced for the crowds.
The city police department had announced staffing at "100 per cent, with an additional 300 officers assisting from partner law enforcement agencies", including on horseback and using unmarked units.
In November 2024, two people were killed and 10 others injured in two separate shootings along a New Orleans parade route and celebration attended by thousands, local media reported.
In February 2017, a pickup truck driven by a man who police said appeared to be highly intoxicated ploughed into a crowd of spectators watching the main Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, injuring more than 20 people.
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