An 18-year-old girl aspiring to be a nurse, a single mother, a father of two and a former Princeton football star were among the victims killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack on New Year’s Day.
Fifteen people died and at least 35 were injured when the driver of a white pick-up truck sped onto Bourbon Street and ploughed into holiday revellers.
The driver has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a US citizen from Texas, with suspected links to Islamic State.
New Orleans Coroner Dr Dwight McKenna said they would release the names of the dead once autopsies were complete and their next of kins were informed.
However, family and friends began paying tribute to their fallen loved ones late on Wednesday night.
Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux
Aspiring nurse Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux was killed when she reportedly ran into the path of the terrorist’s pick-up truck while fleeing the sound of gunshots.
The eighteen-year-old was visiting the Louisiana city from Mississippi with her cousin and friend, Zion Parsons, to celebrate the new year two weeks before starting her nursing course.
According to Mr Parsons, 18, the trio had arrived in the city at around 2am after deciding to drive there on a whim, according to local outlet Nola.com.
They were leaving Voodoo Chicken & Daquiris on Bourbon near Bienville Street when they heard “commotion” and “banging”.
Nikrya’s mother, Melissa Dedeaux, 40, said her niece told her the three began running and Nikyra ran into the street into the path of the truck.
When Mr Parsons returned, he found his friend’s body lying still on the pavement, with her head twisted above her head. He was ordered to leave by a police officer, the outlet reported.
“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering” Mr Parsons said.
“People crying on the floor, like brain matter all over the ground. It was just insane, like the closest thing to a war zone that I’ve ever seen.”
Ms Dedeaux told Nola.com: “I just want to see my baby. She was the sweetest person. She would give you anything, anything.
“As a mother, when my niece and [Parsons] said they covered her with a sheet, I just knew that was it for my daughter.”
The mother of six added: “She was my favourite. She was my child.”
Nikrya, who was known as “Biscuit” by her friends, had just graduated from high school and was due to start a nursing course at Blue Cliff College on January 13. She was following the lead of her mother, who is also a nurse.
Reggie Hunter
Father-of-two and warehouse manager Reggie Hunter, 37, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, had gone to Bourbon Street on a whim, his cousin Shirell Jackson told Nola.com.
He and another cousin were both struck by the truck. The other cousin is in hospital with serious injuries.
Tiger Bech
Former American college football player and Princeton graduate Tiger Bech, 27, also died on Wednesday at a New Orleans hospital, according to local media outlets citing Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette.
Mr Bech attended the high school, where he played wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner and defensive back, Nola.com reported.
Mr Bech played football at Princeton University before graduating in 2021 with a degree in finance. He was working as an investment trader at a New York firm and visiting New Orleans.
Jack Bech, Mr Bech’s brother, wrote on X: “Love you always brother! You inspired me every day now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us.”
Mr Bech’s mother, Michelle Bech, said her son’s best friend from Princeton was also hospitalised with injuries from the attack.
“He was on top of the world,” she told the Washington Post.
“They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Princeton football coach Bob Surace said on Wednesday that he had been texting with Mr Bech’s father, sharing memories of the player, who was a school kick returner and receiver from 2017 to 2019. He earned All-Ivy League honours as a returner.
“He might be the first Tiger to ever play for us, and that nickname kind of described him as a competitor,” Mr Surace told ESPN.
The school’s nickname is the Tigers.
“He was somebody that somehow, like in the key moments, just excelled and was full of energy, full of life.”
Nicole Perez
Nicole Perez, described as “beautiful and full of life”, was a single mother to her four-year-old son working hard to make life better for her family, according to her employer.
Ms Perez, who was in her late 20s, was recently promoted to manager at Kimmy’s Deli in Metarie, Louisiana and “was really excited about it,” deli owner Kimberly Usher said in a phone interview with AP.
Ms Usher confirmed Ms Perez’s death through her sister, who also works for her.
She said Ms Perez would walk in the morning to the deli, which opened at breakfast time, and would ask lots of questions about the business side of the operations.
She also was permitted to bring her son, Melo, to work, where during breaks she taught him basic learning skills.
“She was a really good mom,” Ms Usher said, who started a GoFundMe account to cover Ms Perez’s burial costs and to help with expenses for her son.
Elle Eisele and Steele Idelson, both 19, were also injured in the attack. They graduated from the Canterbury School of Florida in 2023.
The school released the following statement:
“The Eisele and Idelson families are deeply grateful for the outpouring of thoughts, prayers, and offers of support for our daughters following the tragic attack in New Orleans.
“We are especially thankful for the exceptional care and compassion they are receiving at University Medical Center. We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to the first responders, whose swift actions may have saved our daughters’ lives. To everyone who has reached out with love and support, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Ms Eisele attends the University of Georgia and Ms Idelson San Diego State University.