NEW ORLEANS, La. (Queen City Newsfeed) – An Ole Miss student was among those critically injured in a terror attack early New Year’s Day in New Orleans, university officials confirmed. Chancellor Glenn Boyce announced that the student, identified as freshman finance major Parker Vidrine, is receiving medical care following the attack.
Boyce said he had spoken to Vidrine’s mother and extended the university’s support to the family.
“We join the New Orleans community in grief. As we begin the new year with heavy hearts, let us hold our injured student, their family, the first responders and all those affected by this tragic event close in our thoughts and prayers,” Boyce wrote.
Vidrine was injured in the aftermath of a horrifying incident just hours after the New Year’s Eve celebrations, when a pickup truck driver deliberately plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street. The attack left 15 people dead and dozens more injured. Federal authorities are investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.
The suspect has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, who was driving a pickup truck emblazoned with an ISIS flag.
The tragedy unfolded in New Orleans’ most prominent tourist district, where a large crowd had gathered to ring in the new year. As investigations continue, law enforcement is treating the attack as an act of terrorism.
