One of the victims killed in the terror attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day has been identified as 27-year-old Martin "Tiger" Bech of Lafayette, Louisiana.
Bech was one of 14 people killed early New Year's Day when a Texas man drove a pickup truck into the French Quarter and began plowing into people along Bourbon Street before being killed in a shootout with police. Nearly three dozen others were injured in the attack.
Tiger's mother, Michelle Bech, talked to NBC 5's Vince Sims by telephone Thursday about her son, his life, and how proud he was of his little brother Jack, a standout wide receiver for the TCU Horned Frogs.
"I wanted the world to know, I think Tiger's greatest joy was to be in Fort Worth, Texas, watching his brother Jack play football for TCU," Michelle Bech said. "He was very proud and tried to attend all of his games. Loved Fort Worth, loved Dallas, and just felt so lucky, so fortunate that Jack had an opportunity to play for such an amazing university in such an amazing city like Fort Worth."
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Tiger Bech was no stranger to football, either. Before he joined a New York City-based financial company, Tiger Bech played college football in New Jersey for the Princeton Tigers.
Princeton football coach Bob Surace said Wednesday that he had been texting with Bech's father, sharing memories of the player, 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."
Michelle said her son graduated from the Ivy League school in 2021 and was with his former teammate and current co-worker Ryan Quigly when he was killed. Quigly was also struck in the attack but survived and is recovering.
"He was a shooting star in life. He was so great. He lived bigger than life. He was a brilliant boy. He was an incredible athlete. He had a huge heart. His friends came from every walk of life," Michelle Bech said of her son.
Michelle said Tiger was a ferocious defender of those he loved and was an avid adventurer who, in his short life, had already checked off many items on his bucket list, including traveling to Ibiza, running with the bulls in Spain, and seeing the great pyramids of Giza.
"This kid lived every dream he ever had by the time he was 27. I think he could have almost crossed off everything on his bucket list in life. How many people can say that at such a young age?" Michelle Bech said. "Moving forward our goal is going to be to celebrate his life and to help other people to live out their dreams and focus on his greatest dream to see his brother Jack succeed in the NFL. That's where we're going to keep our focus because we know that's what Tiger's focus would be right now."
Over the last week, Tiger spent time with friends, showing off his home state of Louisiana.
"All the people that he loved and all the people that he visited in the last week of his life, it's almost like he was on a farewell tour," Michelle Bech said. "He made such an effort to reach out to so many people and I think that he lived his greatest life. He spent the last few days of his life duck hunting in the marshes with some of his best friends from Princeton and showing them how amazing Louisiana is and eating so much gumbo and loving Cajun food."
Speaking directly about the crash that took her son's life, Michelle said she's going to emulate what she thinks her son would say.
"I think this is what Tiger would say. He wouldn’t want people to have hatred in their heart. He would want there to be a message of peace and love and acceptance of all people," Michelle said. "I think that's what Tiger would say, absolutely."
Bech attended high school at St. Thomas More Catholic in Lafayette. On Wednesday night, family and friends gathered at the school and wiped away tears as they sang worship songs together and paid tribute to his memory. As they prayed together in the church where he grew up, those who knew Tiger Bech said he wouldn’t soon be forgotten.
Funeral arrangements for Tiger Bech have not yet been made public.
