▶ Watch Video: New Orleans starts to heal after terrorist attack
The New Orleans Saints and the NFL will donate $1 million to the victims of the Bourbon Street attack that killed 14 people on New Year’s Day, the team announced on Saturday.
“Our community has experienced an unimaginable tragedy and our collective hearts are broken as we mourn for the victims and survivors on the New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans,” said Gayle Benson, who owns the Saints, in a statement. “As a league, our cities and teams compete at the highest levels of competition and share spirited rivalries. Our staffs and players work tirelessly towards achieving our goals and we share in victories and defeats. However, through football, we are also united and we stand arm-in-arm against all forms of hatred.”
The donation comprises a $500,000 pledge put forward by Benson and the Saints and a matching contribution by the NFL Foundation, which is the philanthropic branch of the football league. The Saints said they have partnered with the charity Greater New Orleans Foundation and the nonprofit United Way to allocate the money across the local organizations “that are directly supporting” the victims of the attack and their families.
“Our hearts go out to all those affected by the tragic events in New Orleans,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in another statement. “The NFL is committed to standing with the resilient community of New Orleans during this difficult time.”
Community groups and some individuals, including New Orleans Pelican star Zion Williamson, have rallied around the victims of the New Year’s Day attack since it happened. Early on Jan. 1, a man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people celebrating the holiday in New Orleans’ French Quarter, leaving 14 dead and dozens of others injured.
Authorities identified the driver, who also died in a shootout with police, as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has called the attack an act of terrorism. A black ISIS flag was flying from the truck’s rear bumper, and President Biden later said the FBI found Jabbar had “posted videos to social media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill” in the hours leading up to the rampage.
“Let me be very clear about this point. This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated, and an evil act,” said Christopher Raia, of the FBI’s counter terrorism division, at a briefing Thursday. At least 35 people were injured in the incident, officials said, and at the time some were hospitalized in critical condition.
A vigil was held Saturday evening along Bourbon Street, and it became a celebration of life when a brass band began playing.
Cathy Tenedorio, who lost her 25-year-old son, Matthew, told the Associated Press she was moved by the flood of condolences and kindness at Saturday’s vigil.
“This is the most overwhelming response of love, an outpouring of love. I’m floating through it all,” she said.
Mr. Biden plans to travel to New Orleans with first lady Jill Biden on Monday to “grieve with the families and community members impacted by the tragic attack.”
The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office shared the names of all but one of the victims last week. They are: Kareem Badawi, 23, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Martin Bech, 27, of New York City, New York; Andrew Dauphin, 26, of Montgomery, Alabama; Nikyra Dedeaux, 18, of Gulfport, Mississippi; William DiMaio, 25, of Holmdel, New Jersey; Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, of Gretna, Louisiana; Terrence Kennedy, 63, of New Orleans, Louisiana; Reggie Hunter, 37, of Prairieville, Louisiana; Nicole Perez, 27, of Metairie, Louisiana; Brandon Taylor, 43, of Harvey, Louisiana; Matthew Tenedorio, 25, of Picayune, Mississippi; Elliot Wilkinson, 40, of Slidell, Louisiana; and Edward Pettifer, 31, of London.
The final victim, 45-year-old Latasha Polk, was identified Saturday by family members at a vigil on Bourbon Street.
