Black Beaumont native kills 14 in New Orleans car attack

A deadly vehicle ramming attack in downtown New Orleans on New Year’s Day is believed to be linked to Islamist extremism. Dr. Dwight McKenna, the Orleans Parish coroner, confirmed that 14 victims had died as of Wednesday evening. More than three dozen were injured.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic events that unfolded in the French Quarter. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the victims, their families, and everyone affected,” McKenna said in a statement.

“As we work diligently in coordination with the New Orleans Police Department, FBI, and Homeland Security, we remain committed to supporting the community during this tragic time in our city.”

The identities of all the deceased have yet to be officially released, but several family members have confirmed the deaths of loved ones.

Gulfport, Mississippi, native Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, who recently graduated from high school, was visiting New Orleans for the holidays when she was struck by the pickup truck speeding down Bourbon Street, where revelers were gathered just after 3am CT on Wednesday morning.

“When your parents say don’t go anywhere please listen to them,” her mother Melissa Dedeaux said on Facebook.

“This was an act of terro[r]ism and now my baby is gone y’all... my baby is gone.”

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency after the attack, which FBI investigators initially said was likely carried out by a group of individuals. Mayor LaToya Cantrell also issued a local emergency declaration.

Officials say Muslim convert Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a troubled 42-year-old Texas native, carried out the attack in a rental car bearing an Islamic State (ISIS) flag. He was killed at the scene after opening fire on the Bourbon Street crowd and local police.

An African-American military vet, Jabbar drove from Houston to Louisiana to carry out the attack, which also involved improvised explosive devices and other weapons in his vehicle. Other possible IEDs at the scene were detonated safely by law enforcement.

Additional bomb materials were found in a short-term rental home in New Orleans’ St. Roch neighborhood, where a fire broke out on the property the same day of the attack. Officials say Jabbar was likely staying there while in town.

More details are expected to be released during a press conference Thursday morning in New Orleans at 10am CT.

Federal investigators in Houston were seen engaging a man in northern Harris County, Texas, after the attack. Few details have been released on that encounter, but it is known that a conversation in the Houston area on Wednesday with Dwayne Marsh, the husband of Jabbar’s ex-wife Nakedra Charrlle, provided additional details on Jabbar’s radicalization.

Marsh told the New York Times that Jabbar, the father of several children, was “being all crazy” in recent months, including cutting his hair as part of a personal religious craze. Video footage recorded by Jabbar during his drive from Texas to Louisiana included his claim that he joined ISIS after deciding against a mass murder of his family members.

Jabbar previously worked as a real estate agent in Houston following his 2020 honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, in which he served as a staff sergeant. His past criminal record included a misdemeanor theft charge in 2002 and driving with an invalid license in 2005.

Jabbar’s first wife, Charrlle, filed a child support case against him in 2012 after their separation. He reportedly married his second wife, Tiera, thereafter, with the marriage ending in 2016 later after what she told TMZ was an “abusive” relationship. Another ex-wife, Shaneen, whom Jabbar divorced during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid personal financial troubles, later filed a restraining order against him.

Catholic leaders reacted swiftly to the attack, which came amid increased local tourist crowds in New Orleans due to a College Football Playoff game originally scheduled for Wednesday night at the Superdome. The University of Notre Dame were set to face the University of Georgia in the quarterfinals of the newly expanded tournament.

Though the matchup has been moved to Thursday afternoon, a regularly scheduled pre-game Mass for the Fighting Irish was held as planned on Wednesday at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside.

“This is what we do in the wake of tragedy. This is what we do when the world needs God the most: We come together in prayer," said celebrant Fr Nate Wills, a Holy Cross priest who serves as the Notre Dame team chaplain.

Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans released a statement calling the attack “a sign of utter disrespect for human life.”

“I join with others… in offering prayerful support to the victims’ families. I give thanks for the heroic duty of hundreds of law enforcement and medical personnel in the face of such evil.”

Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville, chairman-elect for the U.S. Catholic bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and a former auxiliary bishop in New Orleans, also spoke out on the attack Wednesday afternoon.

“I am saddened that anyone would commit such a senseless act of violence,” he wrote on social media.

“I join Archbishop Gregory Aymond in praying for the repose of the souls of those who have lost their lives, the healing of those who are recovering from their injuries, and support for the families of all the victims.”

On Thursday, the Vatican's second-in-command sent a message of support to the affected community on behalf of Pope Francis.

“In assuring the entire community of his spiritual closeness, His Holiness commends the souls of those who have died to the loving mercy of Almighty God and prays for the healing and consolation of the injured and bereaved,” said Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin,

“As a pledge of peace and strength in the Lord, the Holy Father sends his blessing.”

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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