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Sugar Bowl releases statement after attack on Bourbon Street kills 10, injures more
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Tragic news out of New Orleans Wednesday morning. Authorities say that 10 people are dead and 30 more were injured after a vehicle was driven onto Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, plowing into a crowd of people at a high speed.
According to reports, a pickup truck was driven past barricades and into a crowd of pedestrians. The suspect was killed after a firefight with police.
Per the Associated Press, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the incident as a “terrorist attack” during a news conference. An assistant FBI agent in charge, however, declared that it was “not a terrorist event.” The news conference ended before this was publicly reconciled.
The AP reports that an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office revealed that officials are investigating at least one suspected improvised explosive device discovered at the scene.
Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said officers will ensure safety for Wednesday night’s Sugar Bowl matchup. The game is played at the Superdome, which is less than a mile from where Wednesday morning’s tragedy occurred.
Sugar Bowl Chief Executive Officer Jeff Hundley released a statement Wednesday morning.
The Sugar Bowl Committee is devastated by the terrible events from early this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local, state, and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available.
No. 2 seed Georgia and No. 7 seed Notre Dame are set to kick off the CFP quarterfinal clash at 8:45 p.m. ET.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
