By Gram Slattery
(Reuters) – Fifteen people were killed and 30 were injured after a U.S. Army veteran with an ISIS flag on his truck swerved around makeshift barriers and plowed into revelers in New Orleans’ crowded French Quarter on New Year’s Day.
While authorities have not released the names of the victims, at least four of those killed have been identified by family members or other associates.
NICOLE PEREZ
Nicole Perez, 28, had just gotten a promotion, was moving into a new apartment and was teaching her 4-year-old son to read before she was killed on Wednesday morning, Kimberly Usher, her boss, told Reuters.
Usher, who owns the New Orleans-area deli where Perez worked, recounted that Perez would sometimes bring her son to work and play spelling games with him. Usher described Perez as a hard-working mother and a dedicated employee.
“She was just getting a new apartment, so her and her son were about to start their new life,” Usher said. “And now that’s no more.”
TIGER BECH
Tiger Bech, 27, a native of nearby Lafayette, Louisiana, and a Princeton University graduate, was killed on Wednesday morning, according to Marty Cannon, the principal at the high school Bech attended. Cannon said he found out about Bech’s death through his network of mutual friends and associates.
Cannon described Bech, who played football at Princeton, as an uncommon intellect and athlete.
“I’ve seen a lot of great athletes, but there are things that Tiger could do on the football field that I never saw anyone else do,” Cannon said.
“He was just a guy of tremendous depth as well. He was smart, he was an intellectual, just an impressive guy.”
Bech, who worked in finance in New York, was in town for the holidays, Cannon said.
NIKYRA CHEYENNE DEDEAUX
Nikyra Dedeaux, 18, an aspiring nurse from Mississippi, was among those killed in the ramming attack, according to the Times-Picayune newspaper.
Dedeaux was set to begin a nursing program later in January at Blue Cliff College and was in New Orleans celebrating the New Year with a cousin and a friend, the newspaper said, citing associates of the victim.
Melissa Dedeaux, who the Times-Picayune identified as Nikyra Dedeaux’s mother, appeared to confirm her daughter’s death in a widely shared Facebook post on Wednesday.
“When your parents say don’t go anywhere please listen to them,” Dedeaux wrote. “my baby is gone y’all. my baby is gone she is no longer with us.”
Attempts to contact the elder Dedeaux and confirm her relationship to Nikyra Dedeaux on Wednesday evening were not immediately successful.
REGGIE HUNTER
Reggie Hunter, 37, a father of two from Baton Rouge, was among those killed, the Times-Picayune reported, citing a cousin of the victim.
The newspaper reported that Hunter, a warehouse manager, took pride in the academic achievements of his eldest son, who was of school age, and he enjoyed working out with friends and family.
Independent attempts to contact Hunter’s cousin, Shirell Jackson, were not immediately successful.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Scott Malone and Lincoln Feast.)
Comments