John Bagala and Dan Peters had been staying at a New Orleans resort only a few blocks from Bourbon Road when a driver struck and killed a minimum of 14 folks and injured almost 30 folks there on New 12 months’s Day.
Bagala and Peters — members of Marin Skilled Firefighters, the native affiliate of the Worldwide Affiliation of Firefighters — had been on the town to attend a union convention. They joined a New 12 months’s Eve celebration close to the Mississippi River and made their method by the Bourbon Road website that may be attacked a number of hours later.
“Everybody was here to celebrate the new year,” Bagala, Native 1755 president, stated Thursday.
He recalled listening to sirens in his resort room round 3 a.m. and he assumed it was a response to a hearth. A couple of hours later, he acquired a number of cellphone messages from individuals who heard in regards to the assault and checked in on him.
“My biggest reflection is what an awful thing to do to a community and what an awful way to bring in the new year,” Bagala stated.
Authorities recognized the motive force as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and Military veteran from Texas. Jabbar was killed in a gunfight with regulation enforcement officers, New Orleans police stated.
Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, stated the assault was a terrorist act impressed by the Islamic State group.
Bagala stated the incident occurred throughout a time when many native service staff had been going dwelling.
“They found themselves in the middle of the chaos,” he stated.
Bagala, a retired Marinwood fireplace captain, emphasised the difficult circumstances for first responders. He stated they aided victims in a big crowded space close to potential explosive gadgets.
“The law enforcement response was incredible, the fire department response was incredible,” he stated. “Having to deal with that many victims spread out in that area in the middle of tens of thousands of people — that’s as challenging as it’s going to get.”
A number of accommodations close to the scene within the French Quarter had been evacuated instantly after the assault.
“Putting a lot of people out in the streets at 4 o’clock in the morning is no small undertaking,” Bagala stated.
Bourbon Road reopened on Thursday.
“This is a resilient city,” stated Peters, a battalion chief on the Novato Fireplace Safety District.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
Initially Printed: January 3, 2025 at 5:32 AM PST
