The Foreign Office has confirmed that the vehicle attack on New Year’s Day in New Orleans has claimed the lives of at least 14 people, including a British national.
Edward Pettifer, aged 31, who hails from Chelsea, London, was identified by the Metropolitan Police as one of the victims. His family described him as a “wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew, and friend to many.”
The unfortunate incident occurred when a man driving a pick-up truck plowed through crowds on Bourbon Street, a popular area in the city’s French Quarter. The attacker was subsequently shot dead by police.
The New Orleans coroner reported thatPettifer’s preliminary cause of death was “blunt force injuries.” His family meanwhile, expressed their devastation, saying, “We are heartbroken by the tragic news of Ed’s death. He was a beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, and friend. We will miss him terribly. Our thoughts are with the other families affected by this terrible attack. We ask for privacy to grieve our loss.”
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office has promised support to Pettifer’s family during this difficult time.
Some of the other victims of the accident were a well-known American college football player, an aspiring nurse, and a mother of a four-year-old child. Their identities were released by their families before official post-mortem examinations were completed.
The attacker, identified as 42-year-old Texas resident and US Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is believed to have acted alone in what the FBI described as a “premeditated and evil act.” After driving through the crowd, Jabbar exited the vehicle and fired a weapon before being killed by police. An Islamic State group flag was found inside the truck, and two improvised explosive devices were discovered nearby.
The attack left about 39 others injured, with some still receiving treatment in the ICU. Bourbon Street was reopened to the public on Thursday morning, just in time for the Sugar Bowl, a highly anticipated college football game between Notre Dame and the University of Georgia, which attracts thousands of attendees.
