Trump unleashes on ‘pure evil’ killer in NOLA and points blame at Democrats
President-elect Trump called the Bourbon Street attack
an “act of pure evil” in a statement on the incident Wednesday.
“When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,” Trump said.
“The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department. The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!”
At least 10 people were killed and 35 injured when a male suspect drove a pickup truck into a large crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning.
The suspect died after a shootout with police officers.
Fox News has learned that the truck used in the attack had a Texas license plate, and that it was tracked crossing the southern border into the U.S. at Eagle Pass, Texas, two days prior to the attack.
It has not been confirmed that the attacker was driving the vehicle when it crossed the border. Police have also not confirmed the attacker’s immigration status.
Fox News has learned that the truck used in the Bourbon Street attack had a Texas license plate and crossed the southern border just days ago.
Two federal law enforcement sources who were not authorized to speak publicly said the pickup truck used in the attack was tracked crossing the southern border into the U.S. at Eagle Pass, Texas, two days ago.
It has not been confirmed that the attacker was driving the vehicle when it crossed the border. Police have also not confirmed the attacker’s immigration status.
At least 10 people are dead and 35 injured after the driver plowed a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning.
The driver, a male, reportedly jumped out of the vehicle and opened fire on police after hitting the crowd. The brief shootout ended with the suspect dead at the scene, authorities confirmed. Police say 35 people have been transported to five hospitals across the city after suffering injuries from the attack.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this update.
Former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker said it is premature for law enforcement to call the Bourbon Street attack an act of terror.
At least 10 people were killed and 35 injured after a man drove a pickup truck into a large crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning. After crashing the vehicle, the driver jumped out of his truck and traded gunfire with police officers until he was shot and killed by police.
Swecker said that based on the publicly available facts this was “an intentional planned suicide attack.” But he would not call it a terrorist attack until the driver and his motive are known. “As a security professional, an act like this is very predictable and thus preventable. It’s happened twice in New Orleans, it just happened in Germany and these attacks tend to be viral type events,” Swecker told Fox News Digital.
“What I mean by that it is copycats motivated by highlighting their cause perpetrate a similar type attack. It’s nearly impossible to protect an entire venue like Canal Street but if this vehicle penetrated the actual perimeter of the event then perhaps you can draw the conclusion that there was some complacency and not sealing off the event from vehicle attacks.”
Swecker said the most important job for police officers in New Orleans during a holiday like New Year’s is to set up a perimeter around where large crowds of people are gathered.
“You have to question how a truck got through the perimeter. I can see a loan gunman getting through, it’s hard to fathom a truck breaching that perimeter.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland released a statement on the Bourbon Street attack Wednesday, offering thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families.
“The country woke up this morning to news of a terrible tragedy in New Orleans that killed at least 10 people and injured many more,” Garland said.
“My heart is broken for those who began their year by learning people they love were killed in this horrific attack, and my prayers are with the dozens who were injured, including the New Orleans Police Department Officers who risked their lives to save others.
“The FBI is investigating this matter as an act of terrorism. The FBI, the ATF, the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and will deploy every available resource to conduct this investigation.”
The suspect in the attack is dead. At least 10 people were killed and 35 injured after he drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
An employee at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel in New Orleans said they heard two “very soft bangs” on the morning after the Bourbon Street attack.
New Orleans Council Member Joseph Giarrusso told local news station WVUE that police are sweeping the area for possible explosive devices.
Earlier, FBI Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said one or more “improvised explosive devices” were found at the scene of the attack. Investigators are working to confirm if the device is viable, she said.
The suspect who drove a pickup truck into a large crowd on Bourbon street, killing 10 people and injuring 35 others, died after exchanging gunfire with police.
Two police officers were injured during the gunfire exchange and are in stable condition, authorities said.
Law enforcement plans to hold another press conference at 11 a.m. ET to provide additional details from the investigation into the attack.
Officials have asked that members of the public avoid Bourbon Street during the investigation.
Police confirmed that the suspect who killed 10 people and injured dozens more in a brutal car attack on Bourbon Street died trading gunfire with officers.
The New Orleans Police Department said in a statement that a fatal car crash killed 10 people and injured 35 after the driver intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year’s Day early Wednesday morning.
“After the vehicle came to a stop, the suspect reportedly opened fire on responding officers, who returned fire. The victim was struck and subsequently declared deceased on scene,” the police department said.
No other information is currently available.
Two NOPD officers who were struck by gunfire in the exchange are in stable condition.
The FBI is investigating the massacre as a terrorist attack.
The FBI confirmed that the suspect in the New Year’s Day massacre on Bourbon Street in New Orleans is deceased after engaging with police officers.
The bureau also said the incident, in which 10 people were killed and 30 injured after the suspect plowed a pickup truck into a crowded street, is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
“This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others,” the FBI said in a statement Wednesday. “The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill reacted to the attack on Bourbon Street and Canal Street in New Orleans which left 10 dead and dozens injured on Wednesday.
‘Many of us woke up this morning to devastating news of the brutal intentional slaughter of innocent people celebrating the New Year in New Orleans. I’m praying for the victims and their families and will ensure they get justice for this appalling act,” Murrill posted on X.
“Please avoid the immediate area at this time and listen to the law enforcement officers who are still on the scene,” she added.
President Biden has been briefed on the incident, the White House said.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray are also receiving frequent updates.
Fox News Digital’s David Spunt contributed to this report.
Fox News contributor and former DC homicide detective Ted Williams said the New Year’s Day massacre on Bourbon Street shows how America has failed to remain vigilant for attacks on soft targets.
“This was no doubt about it, a soft target, something that we in law enforcement have always been concerned about in this country,” Williams said, comparing the attack to a similar incident in Germany where a person used a vehicle to plow down citizens at a Christmas market.
Authorities will now work to confirm the identity of the suspect and determine his motivations for the attack, which Williams called “very well-planned.”
Police said at least 10 people were killed and 30 injured after the suspect drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The suspect, who is dead, also exchanged gunfire with police officers.
“The fact that we haven’t seen this kind of activity in America for some time, the sad commentary is it allows us to let our guards down and be relaxed at a time when we should be vigilant,” said Williams.
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Papa contributed to this update.
Fox News has confirmed the suspect who plowed a pickup truck into a large crowd in New Orleans, killing at least 10 people and injuring 30 more on Wednesday morning, is dead.
The suspect died after exchanging gunfire with police. It is unclear if he was hit by an officer or if he ended his own life. Two police officers were shot during the incident.
President Biden
has been briefed on the mass casualty incident on Bourbon Street, the White House said Wednesday.
“President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news that a driver killed and injured dozens of individuals in New Orleans overnight and the White House has been in touch with New Orleans Mayor Cantrell to offer support,” the White House said in a statement. “The FBI is already on the ground supporting local law enforcement in the investigation and the President will continue to be briefed throughout the day.”
The FBI would not confirm this was a terrorist event.
Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called the early Wednesday morning incident on Bourbon Street in New Orleans a “horrific act of violence.”
Police said a man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a large crowd of people gathered to celebrate the New Year. The armed suspect fired gunshots at police officers after crashing his vehicle, injuring two police officers.
At least 10 people were killed and 30 injured and taken to local hospitals, city officials said.
“Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene,” Landry said in a statement. “I urge all near the scene to avoid the area.”
The FBI is handling an investigation into the incident. FBI Special Agent in Charge Aletha Duncan would not confirm the attack was a terrorist event. She did say authorities had found one or more improvised explosive devices and were working to determine if the device(s) are viable.
New Orleans police chief Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver who plowed a car into a large crowd on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning did so intentionally.
Kirkpatrick said the man drove a pickup truck down Bourbon Street “at a very fast pace.” The suspect also fired a gun at police officers from the vehicle, hitting two officers who are now in stable condition.
“It was very intentional behavior,” the superintendent of police said. “”This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could.”
Kirkpatrick said this was not a case of drunk driving but was “more complex and more serious based on the information we have right now.”
She noted the suspect went around police barricades to massacre as many people as he could.
“He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and damage that he did,” Kirkpatrick said.
Twenty-six injured people were taken to UMC hospital, four were transported to Ochsner Baptist and one person is at Tulane Medical Center, according to police. There may be more injured victims taken to additional hospitals, Kirkpatrick said.
“I think this is a very tragic situation for me to tell you that we have ten people that this man killed on Bourbon Street,” she said.
Kirkpatrick said the FBI will be taking over the investigation. The status of the suspect is unclear.
She also urged residents and tourists to “continue enjoying” the city on New Year’s Day, noting that the Superdome will be safe for the Sugar Bowl match between the University of Georgia and Notre Dame football teams.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said her city fell victim to a “terrorist attack” at a news conference Wednesday after a driver plowed a car into a large crowd of New Year’s revelers earlier that morning on Bourbon Street.
However, FBI Special Agent Aletha Duncan said the Bourbon Street attack
is “not a terrorist attack” in comments delivered after the mayor spoke.
At least 10 people were killed and 30 injured after the driver intentionally rammed into the crowd and then began firing a weapon at police officers from his vehicle as he crashed the car, police said.
The FBI said improvised explosive devices were found and that investigators are working to confirm whether the devices are viable.
Authorities urged people to avoid Bourbon Street while an investigation is ongoing.
At least 10 people are dead and dozens injured after a driver plowed a car into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, according to authorities.
The driver exited the vehicle and fired a weapon after hitting the crowd. A large police presence and EMS were reported at the scene. Roughly 30 people have been transported to five hospitals across the city after suffering injuries from the attack.
“There has been a mass casualty incident on Canal and Bourbon Street. Get yourself away from the area,” NOLA Ready announced on social media.
“The 8th District is currently working a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street,” city officials said.
The NOLA City website stated 30 injured patients had been transported by NOEMS to five local hospitals and announced there were at least 10 fatalities.
A police officer is among the 30 injured, according to city officials.
Another horrifying subway attack rocks Dem-run city as cops detail stranger assault
A man is in critical condition after he was shoved onto New York City subway tracks on New Year’s Eve, adding to a recent spate of violent incidents in the nation’s busiest subway system.
The victim, a 45-year-old man, miraculously survived being struck by an incoming 1 train at the 18th Street station. He suffered a head injury and was listed in stable condition at Bellue Hospital on Tuesday night, the New York Post reported.
“By God’s own hand, he fell perfectly in the trench,” one law enforcement source told the Post.
The NYPD received a 911 call claiming there was an assault in progress at the subway station on Tuesday afternoon.
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Officers responded and found that the 45-year-old man had been struck by a southbound train after reportedly being shoved onto the subway tracks, according to authorities.
The ordeal was captured on video and shows a hooded male on the edge of the platform and a victim looking at his phone as the train pulls into the station.
The video then shows what appears to be an unsuspecting man being shoved onto the tracks and disappearing under the train.
NYPD INVESTIGATES AFTER HOMELESS MAN CATCHES FIRE IN MANHATTAN SUBWAY STATION
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Kamel Hawkins, 23, has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly pushing the stranger, police said.
The 45-year-old victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Tuesday’s violence comes less than two weeks after a woman — identified as 57-year-old Debrina Kawam — was set ablaze while asleep on a train in Brooklyn on Dec. 22. She died, and a man has been charged with murder and arson in her death.
Screams of excitement turn to panic as NYE display crushes crowd of kids
A New Year’s Eve celebration was cut short for families after a Lego display holding balloons for a drop collapsed into a crowded Massachusetts arcade.
The Peabody Police Department confirmed in a post on Facebook that multiple people were injured when a plastic Lego display fell from a mezzanine level at the In the Game arcade in Peabody.
According to the arcade’s Facebook page, they were hosting a “Noon Year’s Eve celebration” on Tuesday afternoon.
Peabody Fire Chief John Dowling told Fox News Digital that they received a call about a partial ceiling collapse at the arcade just after noon.
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After arriving at the scene, Dowling said crews discovered it was not a ceiling collapse but rather a display of Legos, which was 12 feet tall, collapsed onto a group of people during a failed New Year’s Eve balloon drop.
Dowling said the balloons were supposed to be released from the display during the party and that it appeared a person pulled too hard on the display, causing it to fall over.
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Dowling said 10 individuals sustained minor injuries. Eight were transported to the hospital for treatment, while two refused medical transport.
Of those eight who sought treatment, Dowling said three were adults and five children, sustaining mostly cuts and scrapes.
Lawren Turco, who was in attendance at the event with her family, told WBZ-TV that it was “pure chaos.”
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“We watched the entire balloon drop and had no idea anything happened until we were going to leave promptly following the balloon drop,”Turco described to WBZ-TV.
“Large LEGO pieces were everywhere, kids were crying, there were tons of people all in the office, some with ice packs over their heads and people allowing their children to steal the Lego pieces like souvenirs. It was pure chaos. I had no idea of the true events until after the incident,” Turco continued.
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The arcade was closed as a precaution for a brief period after the incident but reopened a short time later.
A spokesperson for the arcade told Fox News Digital that they are working with the authorities as the situation is being assessed.
Video went viral Tuesday night of President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk doing the signature “Trump dance” together while ringing in 2025.
Trump and Musk were spotted doing the president-elect’s jerky, arm-pumping dance routine to the Village People classic “YMCA” at Mar-a-Lago, with incoming first lady Melania Trump also grooving to the music.
Trump’s dancing at rallies, marked by its humorous simplicity, has become a hit with supporters and has even been emulated by celebrating athletes in college football, the NFL, boxing and UFC.
NFL HAS ‘NO ISSUE’ WITH TRUMP DANCE CELEBRATIONS AMID RECENT TREND
The video of the men in tuxes dancing at the end of a triumphant year for Trump was a hit with supporters online. It was also a reminder that Musk, whose influence in Trump’s orbit and status as the world’s richest person keeps him in the headlines, is staying close to the man who will be president in three weeks.
Trump recently sided with Musk amid a MAGA base spat over immigration and the place of foreign workers in the U.S. labor market.
Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been tapped by Trump to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), argued last month that American culture has not prioritized education enough, and therefore that foreign workers are needed for tech companies like Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla.
Many tech companies have embraced the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations, but critics of the program say H-1B holders are often chosen over U.S. citizens for jobs.
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Trump said that he believed in the program and had always favored the visas.
After a report that Trump was growing irritated with Musk’s constant presence and headline-making, former White House aide Hogan Gidley told Fox News on Monday that it was a non-story.
“Look, it’s obvious that Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and others have good relationships with Donald Trump,” Gidley said. “The media like to stir things up and try and create rifts where there aren’t any rifts.”
Trump spoke to reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night and predicted 2025 would be a “great year.”
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“I think we’re going to do fantastically well as a country,” he said. “We’re going to bring it back. It has to be brought back. People are not respecting our country very much, and they are going to respect us a lot. I think a lot of progress has been made over the last five weeks. It’s been pretty amazing when you look at what’s happened. There’s a whole light all over our world, not just our country. There are lot of very happy people.”
Asked if he had any New Year’s resolutions for 2025, he said, “I just want people to be happy, healthy and well.”
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CNN star refuses shot from Anderson Cooper: ‘The last Black man’ who drank ‘got fired’
A comedian reminded CNN of a difficult part of its past on Tuesday night when he was offered a shot by New Year’s Eve hosts Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.
“Oh no. No, I don’t. The last Black man to drink on this network got fired,” said Roy Wood Jr., who’s known for his “Daily Show” appearances. “I’m going to keep it with water for right now. I need some stability.”
Wood appeared to be referring to ex-host Don Lemon, who was a part of the network’s New Year’s specials during his run and would drink during coverage. Fellow Times Square guests Michael Ian Black and Amber Ruffin didn’t turn down the offer of a shot, however.
Wood co-hosts CNN’s weekly Saturday comedy quiz show, “Have I Got News for You,” alongside Black and Ruffin.
DON LEMON STANDS BY RANT ON TRUMP SUPPORTERS ARE ONLINE BACKLASH: ‘TOO F—ING BAD’
Lemon was fired by CNN in 2023 after a series of controversies and the struggles of the newly launched AM show “CNN This Morning.”
The left-leaning host was pushed out of his primetime spot to become part of a three-person hosting team on then-CEO Chris Licht’s revamped morning program, but the show never got off the ground.
Lemon memorably angered network colleagues in 2023 when he suggested Nikki Haley, then 51 years old, wasn’t “in her prime” anymore. At the time, Haley was presciently talking about age concerns for President Biden, who was forced out of the race a year later by members of his own party.
Lemon lasted two more months before Licht dropped him. Licht himself was shown the door in June of that year.
Lemon recently made media headlines with his blistering attack on Donald Trump supporters amid the schism among part of his base about H-1B visas.
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“You’ve been co-opted because you’re in a f—ing cult and you don’t even realize it because you have stupid MAGA brain and you don’t get it,” he said. “How stupid and dumb are you?”
He stood by his comments on his YouTube show on Tuesday, saying his critics were “butthurt.”
“I’m not referring to all Trump supporters,” Lemon said. “I’m talking to the MAGA-brained people who will say and do anything to make excuses for any behavior that Donald Trump does, any bad behavior that the MAGA movement does.”
He continued, “So yes, I stand by my words! And if you don’t like what I said, then too f—ing bad, I don’t care!”
Lemon also called out the “hypocrisy” of Trump supporters attacking him for his language while defending their “cult leader.”
“This is how messed up you are. You have a higher expectation of me, an independent journalist, a former cable news host, than you do for the person who sits in the Oval Office. Because his mouth is worse than mine,” Lemon said.
Lemon also attacked Time Magazine last month for picking Trump as its Person of the Year, calling the choice a “joke.”
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“If they wanted to make someone Person of the Year, I don’t know, they could’ve done it with any person. They could have done it to someone who actually stood for democracy, who stands for democracy in the country,” Lemon said.
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Judge found dead inside courtroom on his final day on the bench
Police are investigating after a Georgia state judge was found dead in a courtroom on Tuesday.
The Effingham County Sheriff’s deputies said in a release that they found State Court Judge Stephen Yekel, 74, on Tuesday morning.
He appears to have died by suicide, with a self-inflicted gunshot, the sheriff’s office said.
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His death is being investigated by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will perform the autopsy.
Authorities said Yekel died sometime late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
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Yekel, who was appointed to the bench two years ago by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, lost his election bid earlier this year.
His term was scheduled to end Dec. 31, 2024.
In a statement, the Effingham County Board of Commissioners said that they were “deeply saddened” by Yekel’s death.
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“The Effingham County Board of Commissioners and staff are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Judge Steve Yekel at the Effingham County Courthouse today, and we offer our condolences to his family and loved ones,” they said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Effingham County Board of Commissioners for comment.