Bodycam shows New Orleans terrorist firing at police before they shoot him dead
Newly-released bodycam footage shows the dramatic close-range shootout between police and the man who killed 14 people in New Orleans on New Year’s Day.
US Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, ploughed his rented truck into a crowd as they partied in the early hours in the city’s famous French Quarter.
FBI investigators say he was ‘100% inspired’ by the Islamic State terror group and are hunting down ‘known associates’ in the belief he had accomplices.
Video from Officer Luis Robles’ bodycam shows two colleagues with guns drawn positioned in front of the open driver’s side door to Jabbar’s truck after it crashed.
After Officer Robles approaches the door, a muzzle flash is seen from inside the truck, where the airbags had been deployed, and several shots are heard.
The three officers then dash away from the truck and dive to the ground before turning to face the vehicle again.
Jabbar is understood to have fired multiple times from close range, though the number of shots has not been confirmed by police.
Two officers, Jacobie Jordan and Joseph Rodrigue, were each shot in the thigh, while Rodrigue also suffered a fractured shoulder, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) said.
Three officers, one of whom was Rodrigue, fired their weapons, the force added.
The FBI has said that an Islamic State flag and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device were found inside the truck.
Jabbar posted five videos expressing support for Islamic State on social media before launching the attack, investigators added.
Police barricades had been set up around Bourbon Street, where the attack happened, but Jabbar managed to get past them.
At least 35 people were injured in addition to the 14 killed, who include British man Edward Pettifer, a stepson of Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who was nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry.
William said of the incident: ‘Catherine and I have been shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer.
‘Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people who have been tragically impacted by this horrific attack.’
Other victims included a four-year-old boy and a teenage girl who planned to become a nurse.
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