New Orleans attack: Teenage girl and graduate of Princeton University among first victims named
A teenage girl who wanted to be a nurse and a graduate of Princeton University are among the first victims of the suspected terror attack in New Orleans to be named.
Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed after a man drove a pick-up truck into crowds on New Year’s Day but some of their loved ones have started sharing their stories.
Nikyra Dedeaux, 18, died after being struck by the vehicle while celebrating the start of 2025 with her friend Zion Parsons.
Mr Parsons, also 18, has said Ms Dedeaux dreamed of becoming a nurse.
He said: “A truck hit the corner and comes barrelling through throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air.
“It hit her and flung her like at least 30 feet and I was just lucky to be alive.”
New Orleans latest: Follow live updates
Meanwhile, Martin “Tiger” Bech was on Bourbon Street when the truck hit him, his mother told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.
Michelle Bech added that she was able to say goodbye to her son before he died in hospital.
Mr Bech, a graduate of Princeton University, lived in New York City where he was a junior bond trader for a Wall Street Company.
His brother Jack posted 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.”
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New Orleans suspect ‘says hello’ on old promo vid
It comes as Matthew Tenedorio, 25, was killed after he was shot dead by the attacker who got out of the truck and opened fire after ploughing into crowds, his mother has said.
Cathy Tenedorio, from Carriere in Mississippi, said she had dinner with her son on New Year’s Eve.
She told Sky News: “Matthew and his friends all decided to go into The Quarter. We tried to talk him out of it.
“They were walking down Bourbon Street at around 3:15am when everything happened right in front of them.
“The truck crashed into a construction lift. The man jumped out and started firing the gun.
“My son was killed instantly… I just hugged and kissed him last night. Told him I loved him. He had so much hope, a great future working at the Super Dome stadium in New Orleans. He had the job of his dreams.”
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Moment police react to news of attack
Nicole Perez, a single mother to a four-year-old son, was also among those killed in the attack.
Ms Perez, who was in her late 20s, had recently been promoted to manager in her job at deli and was “really excited about it”, her employer Kimberly Usher has said.
Ms Perez would bring her son, Melo, to work and teach him basic learning skills during her breaks.
“She was a really good mom,” said Ms Usher, who started a GoFundMe account to cover Ms Perez’s burial costs.
Read more:
What more do we know about suspect?
New Orleans eyewitnesses describe carnage
New Year’s carnage haunts New Orleans – but ‘Big Easy’ has suffered before
Reggie Hunter
The fifth victim to be named is Reggie Hunter, 37, from Baton Rouge in Louisiana.
His cousin, Shirell Jackson, told NBC News the warehouse manager was an “awesome person” and “a little-bitty guy” with a “big heart.”
He had been with another cousin who survived the attack, she said.
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What we know about the New Orleans attack
ISIS flag recovered from truck
The suspected terror attacker who killed at least 15 people in New Orleans has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabba, who was born and raised in the US.
Jabbar drove a pick-up truck around barriers and ploughed into a crowd celebrating the New Year early on Wednesday.
Dozens were also injured in what the FBI is treating as terrorism after an Islamic State (ISIS) flag was found on the back of the vehicle.
The attack happened around 3.15am on the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Streets in the city’s French Quarter, an area popular with tourists.
Jabbar died in a shoot-out with police.
Former US president Joe Biden has prostate cancer, his office has said.
The statement said Mr Biden, who left the White House in January, is reviewing options for treatment with his physicians.
It read: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
File pic: Reuters
According to Cancer Research UK, a Gleason score of 9 means the cancerous cells “look very abnormal” and the disease is “likely to grow quickly”.
A source familiar with Mr Biden and his family’s thinking has told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that the former president is considering “multiple treatment options” – including hormone treatment for the cancer.
They added he is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and that as of now, it is unclear where the former president will be treated.
Mr Biden, 82, was the oldest person to ever serve as president, with concerns about his health raised regularly during his campaign for re-election last year.
After a poor debate against Donald Trump in June, he withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris.
In February 2023, he had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.
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A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.
The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.
Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.
The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.
Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.
Pic: AP
The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.
The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.
Pic: AP
Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.
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One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.
The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.
The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.
Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.
The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.
“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”
It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.
“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.
The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.
“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).
A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.
The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.
Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.
Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”
Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.
California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.
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