Prospective nurse, football star among victims of New Orleans terror attack

Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed in the New Orleans New Year’s Day attack, but families and friends have begun sharing information about some of them online.

New Orleans Coroner Dwight McKenna said the names of the dead will be released once autopsies are completed and officials have spoken with next of kin, The Associated Press reported.

About 30 people were injured when suspected 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar rammed a rented pickup truck onto busy Bourbon Street early Wednesday. He was killed in a shootout with police.

The incident is being investigated by the FBI as a terrorist attack due to the attackers’ perceived ties to ISIS.

Here is what we know about the victims.

Nikyra Dedeaux

One of the victims, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux, dreamed of becoming a nurse, according to her friend.

“A truck hit the corner and comes barreling through throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air,” Zion Parsons told the AP. “It hit her and flung her like at least 30 feet, and I was just lucky to be alive.”

Parsons said there were bodies strewn up and down the street and everyone was screaming and crying.

“It was just insane, like the closest thing to a war zone that I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Dedeaux was a responsible daughter and helped take care of her siblings.

She had a job at a hospital and was going to start college and begin her goal of becoming a registered nurse, her friend added.

Reggie Hunter

Reggie Hunter, a 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge, had just left work and was going to celebrate the holiday with his cousin when the attack happened.

His first cousin Shirell Jackson told Nola.com that Hunter and his other cousin were both hit by the truck.

They had decided to celebrate in the city ahead of the now-delayed Sugar Bowl between the University of Georgia and University of Notre Dame.

Tiger Bech

Martin “Tiger” Bech, 27, was a former high school and college football star from the Pelican State.

He was killed in the attack, local media reported. Bech’s former athletic director at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, La., confirmed to the local outlets.

Bech played football at Princeton University until he graduated in 2021. He was working as an investment trader at a New York brokerage firm.

Bob Surace, Princeton’s football coach, told the AP that he had been texting with the victim’s father. Bech had earned All-Ivy League honors as a kick returner.

Jack Bech, the victim’s brother who plays as a wide receiver at Texas Christian University, wrote in a post on the social platform X to pay tribute.

“You inspired me to everyday now you get to be with me in every moment,” he wrote.

Surace told ESPN that Bech’s nickname of Tiger “described him as a competitor.”

“He was somebody that somehow, like in the key moments, just excelled and was full of energy, full of life,” he said.

Nicole Perez

Nicole Perez, who was in her late 20s, was a single mother to a 4-year-old son.

She recently was promoted to manager at Kimmy’s Deli in Metairie. Perez was “really excited about it,” deli owner Kimberly Usher told the AP.

Usher said Perez was interested in the business side of operations and was permitted to bring her son, Melo, to work. Perez taught him basic skills during her breaks.

“She was a really good mom,” Usher said.

A GoFundMe account has been started by Usher to cover the funeral costs and to help with expenses for her son.