The driver of the vehicle that rammed into pedestrians on Bourbon Street was “hellbent” on “creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said at a news conference just now, describing the incident as an intentional act.
Addressing reporters, Kirkpatrick said more than 300 police officers had been out on the street to monitor the New Years’ festivities.
She said he also fired at officers at one point, with two officers shot, but in stable condition.
“Last night we had over 300 officers out here. And because of the intentional mindset of this perpetrator who went around our barricades in order to conduct this, he was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
“It was very intentional behaviour,” she said, adding: “This man was trying to run over as many people as he could. It was not a DUI situation.”
