NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana.-
An 18-year-old girl who dreamed of being a nurse, a single mother, father of two and former Princeton football star suffered fatal injuries when the driver of a white van sped down Bourbon Street, packed with Christmas revelers, Wednesday morning. early. .
Authorities have not yet released the names of the 15 people who died in the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans, but their families and friends have begun sharing their stories. New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said in a statement Wednesday night that they will release the names of the dead once autopsies are completed and next of kin have been spoken to. About 30 people were injured.
Nikyra Dedeaux
Zion Parsons of Gulfport, Mississippi, had been celebrating New Year’s Eve on his first night on Bourbon Street when a vehicle appeared and hit his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux, who he said had dreamed of being a nurse.
“A truck came around the corner and it’s coming at full speed throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air,” Parsons, 18, told The Associated Press. “He hit her and threw her like at least 30 feet and I was lucky to be alive.”
As the crowd scattered into chaos, he ran through the gruesome aftermath of bleeding and mutilated victims, hearing gunshots and explosive sounds.
“Bodies, bodies all over the street, everyone screaming and screaming,” Parsons said. “People are crying on the floor, like there is brain matter all over the floor. “It was crazy, the closest thing to a war zone I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Dedeaux was a responsible daughter, shorter than all of her siblings, but who helped take care of everyone, Parsons said. Dedeaux had a job at a hospital and was ready to start college and begin working toward her goal of becoming a registered nurse.
“She had her way of thinking, she didn’t have everything figured out but she had the plan laid out,” Parsons said.
reggie hunter
A 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge was among 10 people killed early Wednesday when a pickup truck slid down Bourbon Street in what officials called an act of terror.
Reggie Hunter had just gotten off work and was on his way to celebrate the New Year with a cousin when the attack occurred, his first cousin Shirell Jackson told Nola.com.
Hunter was killed and his cousin was injured, Jackson said.
bech tiger
A former high school and college football player from Louisiana was among those killed after a driver plowed a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ French Quarter, according to an education official.
Tiger Bech, 28, died Wednesday morning in a New Orleans hospital, according to local media, which cited Kim Broussard, athletic director at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette. Bech attended high school, where he played wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner and defensive back, NOLA.com reported.
Bech’s LinkedIn profile said he played football at Princeton University before graduating in 2021. Most recently, he worked as an investment trader at a New York brokerage firm.
Princeton football coach Bob Surace said Wednesday that he had been texting with Bech’s father, sharing memories of the player, who was a kick returner and receiver at the school from 2017 to 2019.
“He might be the first Tiger to play for us, and that nickname described him as a competitor,” Surace told ESPN. The school’s nickname is Tigres. “He was someone who somehow, like in key moments, stood out and was full of energy, full of life.”
Bech has been working at Seaport Global, where company spokeswoman Lisa Lieberman could not confirm her death. But he told The Associated Press that “everyone who knew him thought highly of him.”
Bech’s younger brother, Jack, is one of Texas Christian University’s top wide receivers.
In response to a KLFY-TV report published on You inspired me every day now you can be with me every moment. I have this T family, don’t worry. “This is for us.”
Nicole Perez
Nicole Perez was a single mother of a four-year-old son who was working hard to improve her family’s life when she was killed in the truck attack in New Orleans, according to her employer.
Perez, who was in her 20s, was recently promoted to manager at Kimmy’s Deli in Metarie, Louisiana, and “she was very excited about it,” deli owner Kimberly Usher said in a phone interview with the AP. Usher confirmed Perez’s death through his sister, who also works for her.
Usher said Perez would walk to the deli, which was open at breakfast time, in the morning and ask many questions about the business side of the operations. She was also allowed to take her son, Melo, to work, where during breaks she taught him basic learning skills.
“She was a very good mother,” said Usher, who set up a GoFundMe account to cover Perez’s burial costs and help with expenses for her son who “will need to transition to a new living situation,” the petition says. donation.
Jack Brook in New Orleans, Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Martha Bellisle in Seattle contributed to this report.
