A young mother teaching her son to read. A former college football player “on top of the world” living in New York City. An 18-year-old aspiring nurse. A father of two remembered as the “life of the party.”
Family members and friends have begun identifying the 15 people who died in the truck-ramming attack early Wednesday morning on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was allegedly “hell-bent” on killing as many people as possible when he steered a pickup truck around barricades and plowed into a crowd of people ringing in the New Year, according to New Orleans Superintendent of Police Anne Kirkpatrick.
Here’s what we know about the victims so far:
Kareem Badawi
Kareem Badawi was identified as one of the victims killed in Wednesday’s attack in a statement from the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, from which he graduated last year.
A fellow alumnus was critically injured and is hospitalized, the school said.
Badawi was attending the University of Alabama, according to a statement from the university president.
Tiger Bech, 27
Tiger Bech’s death was confirmed to ABC News by his mother, Michelle Bech.
Michelle Bech said her son, 27, played football at Princeton University and moved to New York City after graduating in 2021 to work for Seaport Global, a capital markets firm.
She said her son was in Louisiana for a long weekend of hunting and fishing, two of his favorite activities, with college friends from Princeton. He was scheduled to fly back to New York City Wednesday afternoon.
His younger brother, Jack Bech, is a wide receiver for Texas Christian University Football. Michelle Bech said Tiger Bech frequently flew down from New York City over the past two years to attend his brother’s games.
In a statement to ABC News, Princeton’s football coach Bob Surace described Tiger Bech as “a ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate and a caring friend.”
Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18
Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux’s death was confirmed to ABC News by her mother, Melissa Dedeaux.
Melissa Dedeaux remembered her 18-year-old daughter as a kind and outgoing young woman who was excited to attend nursing school this year.
“She was a sweet person. She was outgoing, she was very loved,” said Melissa Dedeaux, who said goodbye to her daughter for the final time Tuesday night.
Melissa Dedeaux said she begged her daughter not to go to Bourbon Street for New Years’ Eve like she had done the year prior.
Melissa Dedeaux said she was worried about the danger of the area, and she needed her daughter to pick her up from her overnight shift at work at 7:30 a.m.
When another family member picked her up from work, she said she sensed something was wrong. She said her brother-in-law broke the news to her once she got home.
Melissa Dedeaux said she hopes others remember her daughter as a kind person.
“She was a good person, and even though she was loved by many, it can happen to anybody,” she said.
Hubert Gauthreaux, 21
Huber Gauthreaux, 21, was identified as a victim in Wednesday’s attack in a statement from the Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, Louisiana, from which he graduated in 2021.
“It is with great sorrow that we share that alum Hubert Gauthreaux, Class of 2021, was tragically killed in the senseless act of violence that occurred early this morning in the French Quarter,” a statement from the school said. “He was 21 years old.”
Reggie Hunter, 37
Reggie Hunter’s death was confirmed by his first cousin, Shirell Jackson.
“He did not deserve this,” she told ABC News’ Diane Macedo. “It’s senseless; it’s cruel. …I wish none of this had ever happened.”
Jackson said Hunter, 37, leaves behind two sons, 11-year-old Landon Hunter and 18-month-old Christian Hunter. She described her cousin as the “life of the party” with a big heart who was funny, loving and caring.
“This is hurting all of us differently and on so many levels,” she said. “We were expecting so much life to live with our cousin … Just a beautiful person who did not deserve this and had so much more life to live.”
Nicole Perez, 27
Nicole Perez, 27 was confirmed as one of the victims by Kimberly Usher-Fall, her employer and family friend.
Usher-Fall said Perez had recently been promoted to a manager at one of her stores and she was really excited about the position.
She said Perez brought her 4-year-old son, Melo (Melvin), with her to work and she was helping him learn how to read.
“She was a great mother,” Usher-Fall told ABC News’ Diane Macedo. “She just was a really exciting little young lady and she was getting herself together.”
Usher-Fall said Perez was out with her friends for New Year’s Eve when she was struck by the truck. She was taken to University Hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
Usher-Fall has previously shared the news of Perez’s passing Wednesday morning on a GoFundMe page.
“She was so beautiful and full of life. Her son Melo is now without his momma, and we are without our friend and dedicated employee. I’m hoping to get some help for her burial expenses and to help her son with expenses he will need to transition into a new living situation.”
Matthew Tenedorio, 25
The death of Matthew Tenedorio, 25, was confirmed to ABC News by his parents, Louis and Cathy Tenedorio.
Tenedorio worked as a fiber optics and video professional at the Superdome and Smoothie King Center, according to his parents, who said they felt he had a boundless future.
Cathy Tenedorio described her son as the “life of the room” whose warmth and humor was treasured by his friends. Asked what she would miss about her son, she answered, “Everything. His beautiful face, laugh. ‘I love you mom.’ You know he was just a wonderful son.”
The Tenedorios last saw their son at dinner on New Year’s Eve before he departed for a night out with friends on Bourbon Street.
They both qualms about him staying out late on New Year’s Eve.
“But all I did was just hug him and tell him, ‘I love you. Happy New Year. Please text me when you get home.’ And that text never came,” Cathy Tenedorio said.
The Tenedorios began trying to contact their son Wednesday morning, attempting to piece together his last steps by asking his friends. They described a scene of chaos and carnage that caused the group to split up. By the time the shooting stopped, they couldn’t find Matthew, his parents said.
“By noon, I had a good idea that something terrible happened to my son,” Louis said.
Louis and Cathy recounted calling hospitals and reporting their son missing and then eventually going to a family reunification center at the University Medical Center hospital.
“I heard parents screaming and crying this afternoon. It just broke my heart,” Cathy Tenedorio said, describing the agony of waiting to learn their son’s fate.
