Earlier this week, locals and tourists flocked to New Orleans’ Bourbon Street with the hope of ringing in the New Year on the pedestrian promenade famed for its celebratory atmosphere. This included everyone from a former college football player to an aspiring nurse and a father of two.
But then, in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove his truck through the crowd of revelers. Though he was ultimately shot dead by police, he killed 14 people and injured dozens more.
In the wake of this tragedy, some of the victims’ identities have been released. We’re honoring them below with a closer look at the lives lost.
New Orleans New Year’s Attack Victims
Ni’Kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux
Ni’Kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux was just 18 years old and an aspiring nursing student at the time of her death.
Her mother, Melissa Dedeaux, was worried about her daughter going to the area for the evening and begged her not to go. She said she sensed something was wrong after another member of her family unexpectedly picked her up from work the morning of the attack. “She was a good person, and even though she was loved by many, it can happen to anybody,” she told ABC News.
Tiger Bech
Former college football player Tiger Bech had been on “top of the world” before the incident. After graduating from Princeton University, he moved to New York City and became a junior bond trader at the capital markets firm Seaport Global.
His mother, Michelle Bech, said her son had been in town for a hunting and fishing trip with college friends and had been set to fly back to New York on Wednesday. The 27-year-old’s brother Jack wrote on X: “Love you always brother! You inspired me everyday now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us.”
Reggie Hunter
Reggie Hunter, 37, was in New Orleans from Baton Rouge to ring in the new year with his cousin, Kevin Curry. Curry survived but will undergo surgery for a broken femur.
One of his cousins told The New York Times that Hunter, who worked as a manager at a warehouse, had a great sense of humor and was known for dressing up. His sister told the outlet that he loved being around family.
Hunter leaves behind two young sons, Landon, 11, and Christian, 19 months. “He loved his kids, his sisters, and his daddy, all of us. He didn’t deserve this,” one of his other cousins, Shirell Robinson Jackson, told CBS News.
Nicole Perez
Nicole Perez had just been promoted to manager at a deli and had moved into a new apartment before she died.
Between shifts at her job, she dedicated her time to her four-year-old son, Melvin, teaching him math and the alphabet. “She was a really good mom,” Kimberly Usher-Fall, Perez’s employer, told The Washington Post.
Matthew Tenedorio
Matthew Tenedorio had dinner with his mom, dad, and one of his brothers outside the city just before heading to New Orleans to celebrate New Year’s Eve with friends. However, they later got separated during the attack’s chaos.
At the time of his death, the 25-year-old was working as an audiovisual technician at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome stadium. His loved ones remember him for his “laid-back spirit and infectious laughter,” according to a GoFundMe page they set up to cover his funeral expenses.
Drew Dauphin
Drew Dauphin was visiting from Alabama with his little brother, Matthew, but they lost one another ten minutes before the attack.
Dauphin worked as a supplier process engineer at the American Honda Motor Company in Birmingham after graduating from Auburn University last year.
“Words cannot convey the sorrow the Auburn family feels for Drew’s family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time,” the school’s president, Christopher B. Roberts said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the Dauphin family and the families of all the victims of this senseless tragedy.”
Hubert Gauthreaux
Hubert Gauthreaux, a 21-year-old Louisiana native, initially told his family that he was heading to the Riverwalk to watch the fireworks on New Year’s Eve, but at some point in the night, he had ventured to Bourbon Street. Though he texted them to wish them Happy New Year, his family didn’t learn that he had died until later that morning, when they went down to University Medical Center.
His friends and loved ones remembered him as selfless and big-hearted. His sister, Brooke, told The New York Times that a week before his death, he gave his friend a tire off his own car while he drove with a spare. “He was my best friend,” she said.
Kareem Badawi
Kareem Badawi was visiting his family in Louisana for the holidays when he decided to go out with some friends to celebrate the New Year. His father, Belal Badawi, announced the news with “great sadness and sorrow” in a Facebook post.
At the time, he was attending the University of Alabama, where he majored in mechanical engineering. “I grieve alongside the family and friends of Kareem in their heartbreaking loss,” university president Stuart Bell wrote in a statement.
Billy DiMaio
Billy DiMaio was in New Orleans celebrating New Years, but unlike his friends, he didn’t make it out alive. Up until 2023, the 25-year-old had been based in New York City, where he was working for the media company, Audacy.
“Beyond his professional achievements, Billy will be fondly remembered for his unwavering work ethic, positive attitude, and kindness,” Audacy said in a statement.
DiMaio grew up in both Long Island, New York, and later, New Jersey. In 2022, he graduated from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. Beyond his education and professional accomplishments, his mother, Tracie DiMaio, remebered him as “a pure, gentle-hearted soul.”
