More victims of the New Year's attack that killed at least 14 people and injured dozens in New Orleans are being identified by families as authorities continue to investigate the deaths.
Authorities have not yet officially released the names of the victims of a man who drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, then opened fire and died in a shootout with police. act of terrorism.
But details about the victims continue to emerge as families speak out about the deaths of their loved ones.
On Thursday night, the New Orleans family announced that their relative Terrence Kennedy, 63, was one of the 14 people killed in the attack.
“Just when we thought our family was safe, we sadly found out today that my uncle was one of the victims murdered on Bourbon Street,” Kennedy's niece, Monisha James, wrote on social media. wrote to the media.
“I know people say things like this all the time, but anyone who knows 'Uncle Terry' knows that he's a kind, quiet and very clean man! Truly words… “I lost it,” she added.
James said in an interview with local news outlet Nola.com that Kennedy told his family he was going out drinking on Bourbon Street to celebrate New Year's Eve.
However, when his family was not contacted by New Year's Day, they began spreading rumors that he was missing. James said his cousin contacted an acquaintance at the Orleans Parish coroner's office, who confirmed Kennedy's death.
James said his uncle was taken to East Jefferson General Hospital, where he died around 6 a.m. Wednesday.
James said his uncle was “the kindest person in the world” and someone who would always lend a helping hand.
James said Kennedy grew up in uptown New Orleans and graduated from Walter Cohen High School. Beloved by many in the city, Cohen was named after a free man of color born in New Orleans in 1860, just before the Civil War that culminated in the abolition of slavery. Cohen was one of the few black Americans to hold political office after Reconstruction, serving in the administrations of three U.S. presidents in various capacities while also embarking on a successful career as a businessman. memo.
Kennedy enjoyed playing NFL football and loved both the Saints and Chiefs, but his favorite team was the Pittsburgh Steelers.
President Kennedy was among several people from the local or neighboring region killed in Wednesday's attack. The attack took place at a time when Bourbon Street and the surrounding French Quarter area were also crowded with tourists.
Other victims of the attack include Nikila Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, who was in the city from nearby Gulfport, Mississippi, with her cousin and friend. Reggie Hunter, 37, father of two from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Tiger Beck is a former football player in his late 20s from Louisiana. Nicole Perez, a mother and delicatessen manager from Metairie, Louisiana, also in her late 20s, was celebrating the New Year with friends.
Also killed was 21-year-old Hubert Gouseau, a graduate of Archbishop Shaw Catholic High School in the New Orleans area. Kareem Badawi, 18, graduate of Baton Rouge Episcopal High School He was in the middle of his freshman year at the University of Alabama. Matthew Tenedrio, 25, was an audiovisual technician who lived in Mississippi and worked at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. I was out with friends. and Billy DiMaio, 25, a New York-based account executive who was in New Orleans to celebrate the New Year with friends.
Ramon Antonio Vargas contributed reporting
