New Orleans police chief Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver who plowed a car into a large crowd on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning did so intentionally.
Kirkpatrick said the man drove a pickup truck down Bourbon Street "at a very fast pace." The suspect also fired a gun at police officers from the vehicle, hitting two officers who are now in stable condition.
"It was very intentional behavior," the superintendent of police said. ""This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could."
Kirkpatrick said this was not a case of drunk driving but was "more complex and more serious based on the information we have right now."
She noted the suspect went around police barricades to massacre as many people as he could.
"He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and damage that he did," Kirkpatrick said.
Twenty-six injured people were taken to UMC hospital, four were transported to Ochsner Baptist and one person is at Tulane Medical Center, according to police. There may be more injured victims taken to additional hospitals, Kirkpatrick said.
"I think this is a very tragic situation for me to tell you that we have ten people that this man killed on Bourbon Street," she said.
Kirkpatrick said the FBI will be taking over the investigation. The status of the suspect is unclear.
She also urged residents and tourists to "continue enjoying" the city on New Year's Day, noting that the Superdome will be safe for the Sugar Bowl match between the University of Georgia and Notre Dame football teams.
Posted by Chris Pandolfo
