A deadly car-ramming attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans left 14 people deadand 35 others injured early on New Year’s Day, authorities said.
The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, drove a pickup truck onto a sidewalk and around a parked police car serving as a barricade to plow into pedestrians over a three-block stretch of the iconic street, according to police.
Jabbar exited the vehicle armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on police officers, law enforcement said. Officers returned fire, killing Jabbar. At least two officers were injured, authorities said.
Alexis Scott-Windham was among those injured in the attack. She spoke to ABC News’ Whit Johnson about the intense experience on Thursday.
ABC NEWS: We are joined now by a young woman who, like so many others, was here on Bourbon Street ringing in the new year when the unthinkable happened. Alexis Scott-Windham is joining us now.
And Alexis, thank you so much for your time tonight. We truly appreciate it. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through over the past 24 hours here. Can you first just walk us through those first moments when you knew something was going wrong?
ALEXIS SCOTT-WINDHAM: OK, so we were on a corner by a pizza place and we noticed a loud boom, boom, boom noise and we looked to the left and somebody said “Move!” And by the time they said move, the truck was coming down and he was halfway on the sidewalk, halfway down the street.
By the time he came down the side, by the time I looked to the left, he came down the sidewalk, he had hit me on the back of my right leg, because I stepped on my left, he hit me by the right leg. And I don’t even know how did I get shot because I fell to the ground. I got up and tried to run once I heard the bullets. And once I got up, I tried to run, but my foot was leaking.
ABC NEWS: And describe what you were experiencing emotionally at the time. Obviously, you knew you were injured, but seeing, seeing the seriously wounded and, and people who had lost their lives all around you, what was going through your mind?
SCOTT-WINDHAM: Well, what was going through my mind? I was just thankful, I was just thanking Jesus, I was just telling the Lord, “Let me make it home to my daughter,” I was just thanking God. But once I got up, I seen the bodies on the ground, I was just — it was like a movie. I just couldn’t believe this happened.
Because before all this happened, everything was just going so nice, everybody was telling everybody “Happy New Year.” All the tours, like random people was telling me “Happy New Years.” I even met people from Chicago that was down here. That’s why it was just so crazy.
ABC NEWS: I’m, forgive me. I’m having a little trouble hearing you. But, but could you describe how your friends are doing today? What are their conditions?
SCOTT-WINDHAM: So me and my friend Brandon, we both got injured. I got shot in the foot and hit from the side.
And Brandon, I think he got hit by the car. His whole right side is just messed up; his left, his right leg is messed up. His back is messed up. His shoulder is messed up. He also has a little gash right here [indicating the right side of her forehead]. He’s still in the hospital, in New Orleans. He’s at Touro hospital.
ABC NEWS: And I understand that, that, forgive me. I understand that you are, you’re home today and you have a young daughter as well. As you look back on this, you know, how are you going to explain what happened to her?
SCOTT-WINDHAM: Well, when I was going through that, in my mind, I was just telling the Lord, “Just let me make it home to my daughter.” I don’t know how I’m going to explain it to her. All I can tell her is “You can still go out and have fun, but don’t be on your phone and always watch your surroundings.”
ABC NEWS: All right, Alexis Scott-Windham. Well, we are, we are so thankful that you are OK today. And thank you so much for, for taking the time to share with us what happened to you and the people you were with.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
