Man rams truck into crowd of people in New Orleans, shooting and killing 10 people, by Reuters

(Reuters) – A driver plowed his truck into a crowd of people at high speed in New Orleans’ French Quarter in the early hours of New Year’s Day and then opened fire, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 35 others, city and police officials said.

“This man was trying to run over as many people as possible,” Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said in a televised news conference on Wednesday. “He was intent on creating the carnage and the damage he did.”

The city said in a statement that the accident occurred at 3:15 a.m. at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Streets during New Year’s celebrations. Bourbon Street is a historic tourist destination in the city’s French Quarter, known for attracting large crowds with its music and bars.

Kirkpatrick said the driver fired at police and struck two police officers from the vehicle after it crashed. She added that the officers are in stable condition.

She added that more than 300 officers were on duty at the time of the incident. The city hosts the Sugar Bowl, a classic American college football game, every New Year’s Day.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the event a “terrorist attack,” but an FBI official contradicted him.

“This is not a terrorist event,” said Alethea Duncan, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office. Duncan said a suspected explosive device has been found and the FBI is working to determine if it is viable.

Verified video captured by a bystander shows at least two twisted bodies in the street, one lying in what appears to be a pool of blood. A passerby was seen kneeling over one of the bodies while a group of soldiers wearing green uniforms and carrying firearms passed by.

“A horrific act of violence occurred on Bourbon Street earlier this morning,” Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry told Channel X, urging people to stay away from the area where the attack occurred.

The injured were taken to at least five different hospitals, according to the city’s emergency preparedness department, NOLA Ready.

The White House under President Joe Biden said it was in contact with the mayor to provide support.

A couple told CBS News they heard crashing noises coming from down the street and then saw a white truck plow through a barricade “at high speed.”

New Orleans has seen shootings and cars crashing into crowds in previous marches.

In November 2024, two people were killed and 10 others were injured in two separate shooting incidents along a New Orleans parade route and celebration attended by thousands, local media reported.

In February 2017, a man who police said appeared to be extremely intoxicated drove a pickup truck into a crowd of spectators watching New Orleans’ main Mardi Gras parade, injuring more than 20 people.