A University of Alabama engineering student, a former wide receiver at Princeton University, a recent high school graduate, a doting father and a first-year college student were among the those who died on New Year’s Day when a pickup truck barreled into crowds on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Fourteen people were killed and more than 30 were injured before the 42-year-old Army veteran who investigators say was at the wheel of the rented vehicle. The attacker was “100 % inspired by ISIS” and acted alone, according to the FBI.
New Orleans police and officials with the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office have not released all the names of those killed. But a day after the carnage in the French Quarter, 14 families were bracing for funerals.
Here are some of their stories:
Kareem Badawi, 18
Kareem Badawi, 18, was home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the holidays. He had just completed his first semester at the University of Alabama, which he believed had a better engineering program than the University of Louisiana, said his father, Belal Badawi, 64.
He said he had given his son permission to go to New Orleans on New Year’s Eve with friends, many of whom were also on break from college.
Kareem had a kind heart and a great personality that attracted many friends, his parents said. He was the youngest of three children — he had a brother and a sister, who are 21 and 19. His father said that his son, who was 6-foot-5, was “beautiful” and that the family still referred to him as “the baby.”
Badawi said that he and his family are devastated and shocked and that Kareem’s killing would be especially hard on his older brother, with whom Kareem was very close.
“That’s another tragedy,” Badawi said Thursday. “My son, he ended up with no brother in his life to share his life. That was his buddy.”
He said the family loved to travel together.
“Our life is going to be different,” Badawi said, his voice breaking at times. “It’s just changed now without him.”
In a statement, the president of the University of Alabama, Stuart R. Bell, said: “I grieve alongside family and friends of Kareem in their heartbreaking loss.”
Martin ‘Tiger’ Bech, 27
Martin “Tiger” Bech, 27, was killed, his mother, Michelle Bech, told NBC News on Wednesday afternoon.
Tiger, a graduate of Princeton University, where he was an accomplished wide receiver and punt returner, lived in New York City and worked as a junior bond trader for a Wall Street company, his mother said.
He was with a friend on Bourbon Street when the truck hit him, his mother said. His friend survived the attack. Tiger was later pronounced dead at a hospital, but Michelle Bech said she was able to say goodbye to him before he died.
“He was living his best life, and he knew it,” she said. “It just leaves a huge void in our life.”
Bech, of Lafayette, Louisiana, said Tiger trained with his younger brother, Jack, a wide receiver at Texas Christian University who was preparing for the NFL draft.
Tiger was his youngest brother’s “biggest supporter,” she said.
Jack Bech about his brother’s death:
“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.” He ended the message with a heart emoji.
Princeton’s athletic department said in a statement Wednesday that his nickname was fitting.
“He was a ‘Tiger’ in every way — a ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate and a caring friend,” head football coach Bob Surace said. “Our last conversation was about how proud I was of the growth he showed during his time at Princeton and the success he was having after graduation. My love goes to the entire Bech family.”
Bech was a member of the 2016 and 2018 Ivy League champion teams. He earned two All-Ivy honors as a return specialist for the Tigers, including second-team accolades in 2018, the school’s first perfect season since 1964, the university said.
He also recorded 53 catches for 825 yards and three touchdowns as a wide receiver, Princeton said.
His high school, St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, said in a statement Wednesday that the community was mourning his death. He graduated in 2015 and was called a “standout” in football, lacrosse and track and field, the school said.
Reggie Hunter, 37
Reggie Hunter, 37, of Baton Rouge, died after the truck hit him, said his cousin Shirell Jackson, of Hammond, Louisiana.
Jackson said she rushed to University Medical Center, where Hunter was pronounced dead.
She described her cousin as an “awesome person” and “a little-bitty guy” with a “big heart.” She said Hunter, a manager at a warehouse, was extremely funny and adored his children, boys ages 11 and 1.
“He just didn’t deserve this,” Jackson said.
He had been with another cousin who survived the attack, she said.
At the hospital, Jackson ran across others who had lost loved ones.
“I wish the mom who I’ve seen at the hospital wasn’t crying and her daughter wasn’t dead,” she said. She said there was also a couple whose son had died.
Regardless of a motive, the attack will have lasting consequences, Jackson said.
“Whether it was a terrorist or Joe Blow … from whatever, Louisiana, what they done was horrible,” she said. “They devastated so many lives.”
Ni’Kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18
Ni’Kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, a recent high school graduate, was killed, her grandmother Jennifer Smith told .
Her mother, Melissa Dedeaux, that her daughter was killed, and she asked for prayers.
“When your parents say don’t go anywhere please listen to them…this was an act of terroism and now my baby is gone y’all,” she wrote. “My baby is gone she is no longer with us.”
The post was accompanied by a photograph of Ni’Kyra wearing a red graduation cap and gown.
Dedeaux could not be reached for comment.
Matthew Tenedorio, 25
Matthew Tenedorio, 25, was remembered as someone whose laid-back spirit brought joy to those around him.
“Matthew was always the one to lighten the mood, able to laugh off life’s challenges and spread positivity wherever he went,” his family wrote in an online fundraiser after this death.
His mother, Cathy Tenedorio, of Carriere, Mississippi, said the last time she saw her son was around 9 p.m. Tuesday, New Year’s Eve. Matthew said at the time he wanted to go to the French Quarter with friends.
The next time she saw him was at the morgue, she said. She remembered she kissed and hugged him just the night before.
Cathy Tenedorio said her son worked at the Superdome as an audiovisual technician and that it was the job of his dreams.
On Thursday, the New Orleans Saints that he was a “valued member of the ASM New Orleans video production team.”
“Matthew was young, talented, and he had a bright future, helping deliver quality content for both the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans,” it said.
Hubert Gauthreaux, 21
Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, was identified as one of the dead by his former high school, Archbishop Shaw, in Marrero, Louisiana.
“It is with great sorrow that we share that alum Hubert Gauthreaux, Class of 2021, was tragically killed in the senseless act of violence that occurred early this morning in the French Quarter,” the school said in a statement on Facebook.
“We are asking the entire Archbishop Shaw family to pray for the repose of Hubert’s soul, his family and friends during this difficult time, and all those affected by this tragedy,” the statement added.
Gauthreaux was watching the fireworks show on the riverwalk with friends when he reached out to his family at 12:08 a.m. Wednesday.
“I love you,” he texted.
Those turned out to be the last words they would receive from him.
“I want my son back,” his visibly shaken mother, Rami Gauthreaux, said Thursday from her home in a New Orleans suburb. “He was perfect. He would give everybody, anything.”
Last week, she said, Hubert took a tire off his new vehicle and gave it to a friend who needed it more. She said he was always willing to extend a helping hand.
His older sister, Brooke Gauthreaux, 26, said, “Even if he was hurting, he’d find a way to fix you.”
She said her brother went from posting social media videos on Bourbon Street to being gone in a matter of hours.
“There’s so much I could say. I miss him already,” the sister said.
Nicole Perez, 27
Nicole Perez was a single mom who was ringing in the new year when she was killed. She had reason to feel optimistic about the future — she had just been promoted to sundries manager at Kimmy’s Market in Metairie, Louisiana.
“She was a single mama,” said her boss, Kimberly Usher Fall. “Over the course of last year, she’s gone through some rough times. But she was pulling out of it.”
Known as Nikki, Perez had worked for the past three years at the market and at Kimmy’s Deli, which is also in Metairie. Sometimes she brought along her son, Melvin, who Fall said was 5. And when Perez went to work, it was on foot because she didn’t have a car.
Ryan Meaux, 34, a regular at the market, said he started giving Perez rides to work in December after he learned that she walked. He said Perez sometimes had to trek several miles to get to the job.
Co-worker Geralyn Fielding said: “She went through a bad breakup, so when she came here she wanted to change things, and she did. She was setting her goals because she was on her way to 30 and she wanted to have something by then.”
Fielding said that she last saw Perez on Tuesday and that she was excited about going to the French Quarter and seeing the fireworks.
On Thursday, during the lunch hour, the patrons at Kimmy’s Deli were expressing condolences and passing the hat to help Perez’s son.
“So sorry,” a man told Fall before he contributed $100 to the fund.
Drew Dauphin, 26
Dauphin, who lived in Montgomery, Alabama, was identified by family spokesperson Becky Devereux and his alma mater.
“On behalf of Auburn University, I send my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of 2023 graduate Drew Dauphin who was taken from us in the New Orleans terror attack,’’ university President Christopher B. Roberts said.
Billy DiMaio, 25
Billy DiMaio, 25, was in Louisiana to celebrate the new year and be with friends, his parents, Bill and Tracie DiMaio, told .
“He was a good, humble kid,” DiMaio’s father said. “He loved life.”
Tracie DiMaio said her was son “was a pure, gentle-hearted soul. He will be truly missed.”
DiMaio worked for Audacy Inc., which said Thursday in a statement that it was “heartbroken.”
“Beyond his professional achievements, Billy will be fondly remembered for his unwavering work ethic, positive attitude, and kindness. He was a true asset to the Audacy team, and his contributions and presence will be deeply missed,” Audacy said.
It sent condolences to DiMaio’s family and friends and to his colleagues “who had the privilege of working with him.”
Chestnut Hill College said in a statement Thursday that DiMaio was a 2022 graduate.
The college in Philadelphia said it was “devastated” by his death.
“Billy was a leader within our community who shined not only as a star student in the classroom, but also as a top athlete, serving as a Captain on our 2022 championship Lacrosse team,” the statement said.
The college also said it is reflecting on the “positive impact he had upon so many in our close community.”
DiMaio was described in the newspaper article as a family man who was a native of Long Island, New York.
The oldest of three children, DiMaio was close with his brother and sister and considered his father his best friend. He also had a tattoo featuring all of his cousins’ names, the newspaper reported.
