All of the 14 victims of the New Orleans truck attack identified

A British man who was killed when the driver of a white pickup truck sped down Bourbon Street packed with holiday revelers was identified Saturday as the stepson of a former nanny to the Royal Family. Prince William expressed shock and sadness at the news of the death of Edward Pettifer of London.

A nursing assistant in her 40s was the last of the 14 victims killed in the New Orleans truck attack to be identified, according to her family who said the coroner's office confirmed LaTasha Polk's death on Saturday.

The coroner's office said all the victims died from blunt force injuries. The suspect in the attack, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was fatally shot in a firefight with police.

The youngest victim was 18 years old and the oldest 63. Most victims were in their 20s. They came from from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey and Great Britain.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said the innocent lives lost will never be forgotten, as he declared on Friday a period of mourning for the victims, which is scheduled to begin Jan. 6. A different victim is to be remembered each day.

“However, Louisiana and her people will never cower in fear," he said. “Instead, we will unite and come back stronger in honor of every person who lost their lives that day.”

About 30 people were injured and 16 remained hospitalized as of Friday.

LaTasha Polk, 47

LaTasha Polk, a nursing assistant and mother of a teenage boy, was the last victim in the New Year's truck attack to be identified, according to her family, who gathered at a vigil Saturday evening to light candles. They said the coroner's office informed them Saturday morning. They had been looking for her and were grateful for the closure.

“It was the wrong call we got, but at least we got the call,” said LaTasha Polk's cousin, Sebastian Polk. He said he was all out of tears by the time he arrived at the vigil to honor his cousin, whom he described being as close as a sister.

The coroner did not specify the reason for the delay, her aunt Kim Polk said.

“Every time you saw her she was smiling,” said her cousin Courtney Polk, pressing her hands together in front of her face and holding back tears. “It’s hard but we see all the love for her.”

Some of LaTasha’s relatives held each other crying on the curb near the cross where they had placed candles for her and other victims.

“Tasha, she was a loving person, and for her life to be taken away — unimaginable,” Kim Polk said. “To wake up and have that taken from you.”

Edward Pettifer, 31

Thirty-one year old Edward Pettifer, a British citizen, was identified Saturday as one of the 14 victims killed in the truck attack.

Pettifer’s family said they were “devastated at the tragic news of Ed‘s death” and described him as “a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and a friend to so many.”

“We will all miss him terribly. Our thoughts are with the other families who have lost their family members due to this terrible attack,” the family added.

The U.K.’s Foreign Office also said it was supporting Pettifer’s family and was in contact with U.S. authorities.

William 'Billy' DiMaio, 25

Billy DiMaio, of Holmdel, New Jersey, was humble and gentled-hearted, so devoted to family that he had a tattoo featuring all of his cousins’ names, his parents told NOLA.com.

A New York City-based account executive for the media company Audacy, DiMaio was in New Orleans to celebrate New Year’s Eve and see friends who planned to go to the Sugar Bowl, Tracie and Bill DiMaio, of Holmdel, New Jersey, told the news site. His friends escaped injury.

“He was a good, humble kid,” Bill DiMaio said. “He loved life.”

Billy DiMaio grew up on Long Island, New York, before the family moved to New Jersey. He graduated in 2022 from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, where he was on the lacrosse team and earned a master’s degree.

“He was a pure, gentle-hearted soul," his mother said. “He will be truly missed.”

He had worked for Audacy since 2023.

“Beyond his professional achievements, Billy will be fondly remembered for his unwavering work ethic, positive attitude, and kindness," Audacy said in an emailed statement. “He was a true asset to the Audacy team, and his contributions and presence will be deeply missed.”

Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18

Zion Parsons, of Gulfport, Mississippi, had been celebrating New Year's Eve on his first night on Bourbon Street when a vehicle appeared and plowed into his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux, who he said had dreamed of becoming a nurse.

"A truck hit the corner and comes barreling through throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air," Parsons, 18, told The Associated Press. "It hit her and flung her like at least 30 feet and I was just lucky to be alive."

As the crowd scattered in the chaos, he ran through a gruesome aftermath of bleeding and maimed victims, hearing gunshots and explosive sounds.

"Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering," Parsons said. "People crying on the floor, like brain matter all over the ground. It was just insane, like the closest thing to a war zone that I've ever seen."

Dedeaux was a responsible daughter -- shorter than all her siblings but the one who helped take care of everyone, Parsons said. Dedeaux had a job at a hospital and was set to start college and begin working toward her goal of becoming a registered nurse.

"She had her mindset -- she didn't have everything figured out, but she had the plan laid down," Parsons said.

Reggie Hunter, 37

A 37-year-old father of two from Prairieville, Louisiana, had just left work and headed to celebrate New Year's with a cousin when the attack happened, his first cousin Shirell Jackson told Nola.com.

Hunter was killed and his cousin was injured, Jackson said.

Martin 'Tiger' Bech, 27

A former high school and college football player from Louisiana was among those who died after a driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans' French Quarter, according to an education official.

Tiger Bech, 27, died late Wednesday morning at a New Orleans hospital, according to local media outlets citing Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette. Bech attended the high school, where he played wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner and defensive back, NOLA.com reported.

Bech's LinkedIn profile said he played football at Princeton University before graduating in 2021. Most recently he was working as an investment trader at a New York brokerage firm.

Princeton football coach Bob Surace said Wednesday that he had been texting with Bech's father, sharing memories of the player, who was a school kick returner and receiver from 2017 to 2019.

"He might be the first Tiger to ever play for us, and that nickname kind of described him as a competitor," Surace told ESPN. The school's nickname is the Tigers. "He was somebody that somehow, like in the key moments, just excelled and was full of energy, full of life."

Bech has been working at Seaport Global, where company spokesperson Lisa Lieberman could not confirm his death. But she told The Associated Press that "he was extremely well regarded by everybody who knew him."

Bech's younger brother, Jack, is a top wide receiver at Texas Christian University.

In response to a KLFY-TV report posted on X about Tiger Bech's death, a post from an account for Jack Bech on the social media site said: "Love you always, brother ! You inspired me everyday now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don't worry. This is for us."

Nicole Perez, 27

Nicole Perez was a single mother to a 4-year-old son, working hard to make life better for her family when she was killed in the New Orleans truck attack, according to her employer.

Perez, who was in her late 20s, was recently promoted to manager at Kimmy's Deli in Metairie, Louisiana, and "was really excited about it," deli owner Kimberly Usher said in a phone interview with AP. Usher confirmed Perez's death through her sister, who also works for her.

Usher said Perez would walk in the morning to the deli, which opened at breakfast time, and would ask lots of questions about the business side of the operations. She also was permitted to bring her son, Melo, to work, where, during breaks, she taught him basic learning skills.

"She was a really good mom," said Usher, who started a GoFundMe account to cover Perez's burial costs and to help with expenses for her son that "he will need to transition into a new living situation," the donation request says.

Matthew Tenedorio, 25

Matthew Tenedorio, of Picayune, Mississippi, was remembered as someone whose laid-back spirit brought joy to those around him.

"Matthew was always the one to lighten the mood, able to laugh off life’s challenges and spread positivity wherever he went,” his family wrote in an online fundraiser after this death.

His mother, Cathy Tenedorio, of Carriere, Mississippi, said the last time she saw her son was around 9 p.m. Tuesday, New Year's Eve. Matthew Tenedorio then said he wanted to go to the French Quarter with friends.

"We had dinner and we did fireworks outside, and just laughing and hugging each other and telling each other we loved each other," she said. She added that they had tried to dissuade him from going into the city. "They don't think about risk," she said.

The next time she saw him was at the morgue, she said. She remembered she kissed and hugged him just the night before.

Cathy Tenedorio said her son worked at the Superdome, where his online fundraiser said he was an audiovisual technician. She said it was the job of his dreams.

"It's just very sad," Cathy Tenedorio said.

"He was a wonderful kid," Louis Tenedorio added. "He loved people. He loved animals. He always had a smile. So many friends. He had so many friends."

Andrew Dauphin, 26

Christopher B. Roberts, president of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, said on X that 2023 graduate Drew Dauphin died in the New Orleans attack.

“Words cannot convey the sorrow the Auburn Family feels for Drew’s family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time,” Roberts said. “Our thoughts are with the Dauphin family and the families of all the victims of this senseless tragedy.”

Dauphin was a supplier process engineer at the American Honda Motor Company in Birmingham, Alabama, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Hubert Gauthreaux, 21

Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, of Gretna, Louisiana, was identified as one of the dead by his former high school, the Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, Louisiana.

“It is with great sorrow that we share that alum Hubert Gauthreaux, Class of 2021, was tragically killed in the senseless act of violence that occurred early this morning in the French Quarter,” the school said in a statement shared on Facebook.

“We are asking the entire Archbishop Shaw family to pray for the repose of Hubert’s soul, his family and friends during this difficult time, and all those affected by this tragedy,” the statement added.

Gauthreaux was watching the fireworks show on the riverwalk with friends when he reached out to his family at 12:08 a.m. Wednesday.

"I love you," he texted.

Those turned out to be the last words they would receive from him.

“I want my son back,” said his visibly shaken mother, Rami Gauthreaux, on Thursday from her home in a New Orleans suburb. “He was perfect. He would give everybody, anything.”

Last week, she said, Hubert took a tire off his new vehicle and gave it to a friend who needed it more. She said he was always willing to extend a helping hand.

“Even if he was hurting, he’d find a way to fix you,” said his older sister, Brooke Gauthreaux, 26.

She said her brother went from posting social media videos on Bourbon Street to being gone in a matter of hours.

“There’s so much I could say, I miss him already,” the sister said.

Kareem Badawi, 18

Kareem Badawi was home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the holidays. He had just completed his first semester at the University of Alabama, which he believed had a better engineering program than the University of Louisiana, said his father, Belal Badawi, 64.

He said he had given his son permission to go to New Orleans with friends on New Years Eve, many of whom were also on break from college.

Kareem had a kind heart and a great personality that attracted many friends, his parents said. He was the youngest of three children — he had a brother and sister, who are 21 and 19. His father said his 6-foot-five son was “beautiful” and the family still referred to him as "the baby."

Badawi said he and his family are devastated and shocked and that Kareem’s killing would be especially hard on his older brother, with whom Kareem was very close.

“That’s another tragedy,” Badawi said Thursday. “My son, he ended up with no brother in his life to share his life. That was his buddy.”

He said the family loved to travel together.

“Our life is going to be different,” Badawi said, his voice breaking at times. “It’s just changed now, without him.”

In a statement, the president of the University of Alabama, Stuart R. Bell, said: “I grieve alongside family and friends of Kareem in their heartbreaking loss.”

Terrence Kennedy, 63

Terrence Kennedy was among the people killed in Wednesday's attack, his sister and family confirmed to NBC News.

Kennedy, who was known as “Terry,” was born and raised in New Orleans and was remembered for his kindness and his big heart, his family told NBC affiliate WDSU of New Orleans.

Kennedy loved sports, including the New Orleans Saints, his sister told WDSU. But his favorite team was the Pittsburgh Steelers, she said.

Sister Jacqueline Kennedy said in a tearful video on Facebook that while she had asked for prayers after her brother who was on Bourbon Street and was missing, she had to confirm he was dead.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you all that he didn't make it," she said. The Facebook post was titled "My brother Terry Is Gone."

Elliott Wilkinson, 40

Cecil Wilkinson said in a message to his little brother, Elliot Wilkinson, on Facebook that he was loved “and you will truly be missed.”

“I know life was hard for you at times. But I wasn’t expecting to get the phone call this morning you was one of them that got hit in New Orleans in the French Quarter,” Wilkinson said in the post.

Brandon Taylor, 43

Brandon Taylor, of Harvey, Louisiana, died New Year's Day in the truck attack on Bourbon Street. More information about Taylor will be added as it is confirmed.

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Injured in the attack

Jeremi Sensky

Heaven Sensky-Kirsch said her father, Jeremi Sensky, endured 10 hours of surgery for injuries that included two broken legs. He was taken off a ventilator Thursday.

Jeremi Sensky was ejected from the wheelchair he has used since a 1999 car accident and had bruises to his face and head, Sensky-Kirsch said in a phone interview from a hospital intensive care unit.

"He's talking right now," Sensky-Kirsch said late Thursday morning.

Sensky, 51, who works in the family's tree service business, had driven from his home in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, to New Orleans to celebrate the holiday.

He and his wife, his daughter, his son-in-law and two friends stopped for a few days in Nashville before arriving in New Orleans, a place they just always wanted to visit.

Before the attack, Sensky and the two friends had been having pizza, his daughter said. Sensky left them to return to his hotel on Canal Street because he felt cold, she said.

Sensky-Kirsch said others could see the attacker coming and were able to run out of the way, but her father "was stuck on the road." His wheelchair can be seen in some images lodged against a crane.

When he didn't return to the hotel, they went to look for him, she said.

"We thought he was dead," Sensky-Kirsch said. "We can't believe he's alive."

Ryan Quigley

Ryan Quigley was in the French Quarter with his former college football teammate and current co-worker Tiger Bech when they were hit by the truck in the attack.

Quigley and Bech were longtime friends who met at Princeton University in New Jersey and worked together for a financial services company in New York. Virginia Bech, Tiger's sister, said her brother and Quigley were roommates in New York City and did everything together, including fishing and duck hunting, which they did hours before the attack. Quigley is close to the Bech family and was even included in their family's group chat. Virginia said her family is with Quigley as he continues to recover.

"Ryan is doing OK. He is stable and resting in the company of his family and friends," the Quigleys said in an update on a GoFundMe page set up by his friends. "Ryan loves you all. Please keep the Bech family, the other families, and all of those affected by this tragedy in your prayers. Thank you all."

Bech, who is from Lafayette, Louisiana, did not survive the attack. Quigley is recovering.

Also injured:

• University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead said on "X" that a student was critically injured in the attack and is receiving medical treatment. He did not name the student.
• The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on "X" that two Israeli citizens were injured in the attack.
• University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce said Thursday that one of the university's students was critically injured in New Orleans. Boyce did not identify the student.