Football player, father, student: victims of being run over in the USA

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a former soldier and US citizen who lived in Texas, left 15 people dead after driving a truck into a crowd in New Orleans. The attack occurred around 3:15 am local time (6:15 am Brasília time) this Wednesday.

The FBI investigates the attack as terrorism. An Islamic State flag was found in the car, as well as weapons and explosives. In addition to killing 15 people, the collision also injured 35. There are no details on the health status of the injured.

The collision was intentional, according to police. Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the suspect demonstrated “very intentional behavior” and was “trying to run over as many people as possible.”

After the attack, the driver fired at the police, hitting two officers. Both are doing well, Kirkpatrick said. “Last night, we had more than 300 police officers here (…) he (driver) was determined to cause carnage,” he said.

The driver was then killed by the police. “After the vehicle stopped, the suspect reportedly opened fire on responding officers, who returned fire,” the New Orleans Police Department said. The FBI confirmed. There is still no information about the motivation for the crime.

Local residents and tourists gathered on the avenue to watch an open-air concert and the countdown to the New Year. The area was also crowded as restaurants offered special promotions and presentations.