NEW ORLEANS (NewsNation) — Paige Bryan survived the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans.
She described the scene after suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove right by her, calling the attack “very traumatic” in an exclusive Thursday interview with NewsNation’s “Banfield.”
“He hit all the people I was walking in a crowd with,” Bryan said. “It was surreal. It didn’t seem like a real thing that happened. … I don’t feel like anybody knew what was coming. … It happened so, so fast.”
Investigation continues into what authorities are calling a New Year’s Day “act of terrorism” in New Orleans’ bustling Canal and Bourbon streets in which a car was driven into a crowd, killing 14 people and injuring at least 35 more.
Jabbar, a U.S.-born citizen from Beaumont, Texas, was shot and killed by police after crashing into the crowd of revelers at 3:15 a.m. Investigators recovered a handgun and AR-style rifle after the shootout, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
Officials said that as of Thursday morning, all of the victims have been identified, and their families have been notified by New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell.