Car drives into Bourbon Street crowd, kills at least 10

[Batman]

It is New Year's in Nola, so staggeringly irresponsible intoxication isn't off the table.

If it hasn't changed I think they close off Bourbon a block downriver from Canal, which explains why a car even got that close.

Apparently the guy came onto Bourbon at Canal, then made it about three blocks until he hit a forklift parked in the street. Then he shot at the cops, who shot back and killed him.

 

[Scout]

Which seems obvious, right? But then as soon as she hands the mic to the FBI agent, the agent says "It was not a terrorist attack."

Killer seems to have had no known agenda other than to kill people.

From my understanding, terrorists can have a political religious or other type of agenda.

 

[Batman]

Killer seems to have had no known agenda other than to kill people.

From my understanding, terrorists can have a political religious or other type of agenda.

Yeah, I suppose it's smart to couch that until you know for sure. It was just strange to see the mayor say "it was a terrorist attack" and then literally 15 seconds later the FBI says "no it wasn't."

They haven't released anything about the killer yet, though. Not even a name. I'm sure that'll come at the next press conference at 11 a.m. CST.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

If they're saying it wasn't a terrorist attack that must mean it was a white guy.

 

[FileNotFound]

FBI now investigating it as terror attack, per nola.com:

FBI now investigating Bourbon Street mass-casualty incident as 'act of terrorism'

 

[Scout]

I mean, if someone is angry with life and wants to kill people and there is not any real purpose to it like "banks are horrible" or "healthcare sucks" then I'm ok with another label being created.

I think we need to create more subcategories for mass shootings/death.

We need to have "pissed and mentally unstable" added.

 

[Jesus_Muscatel]

And this country votes for people who will ensure it keeps happening. I'm sure thoughts and prayers will abound.

Yes, I thought the same thing. Mind boggling.

 

[Driftwood]

We really do need to come up with another term than "terrorist attack." I seriously doubt some dudes are sitting around in a foreign land plotting to drive an F-150 into a crowd in America's 53rd largest city. That will bring the Great Satan to heel.

 

[Jesus_Muscatel]

Apparently the guy came onto Bourbon at Canal, then made it about three blocks until he hit a forklift parked in the street. Then he shot at the cops, who shot back and killed him.

I've spent a lot of time, in New Orleans, in the French Quarter, and on Bourbon Street. Lived in that part of the country for 25 years.

In the Quarter, even on weekends/holidays/special events, the police presence at 3:15 in the morning is nothing like, say, at midnight, certainly earlier.

So much violence. I'm numb.

 

[SixToe]

Someone who does this wants to incite terror, even if they can't spell incite or provide a definition for it. But I guess the EffBeeEye has a specific checklist for it to be a terrorist attack. Brown skin being one, or first, perhaps.

"mentally forked-up asshole murderer" might be a good category

 

[Batman]

We really do need to come up with another term than "terrorist attack." I seriously doubt some dudes are sitting around in a foreign land plotting to drive an F-150 into a crowd in America's 53rd largest city. That will bring the Great Satan to heel.

Terrorists might know how to operate a rocket launcher, but by and large they are not rocket scientists.

And this isn't the first attack of this type. There have been a bunch of them in Europe over the past few years — including one in Germany last week — and IIRC there was one in New York at some point in the past 10 years.

 

[dixiehack]

"Mass murder" seems accurate enough to me. Terrorism has a political or ideological basis to it.

Nearly all of us worked in an industry where precise wording mattered. I don't get why that ruffles feathers in this case.