Devastating final text New Orleans victim sent his dad before being run down by attacker
The father of one of the the victims to have lost their lives in New Orleans during New Year's Eve celebrations has spoken out.
In the early hours of January 1, army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar reportedly drove a truck into a crowd that were ringing in the new year on a busy New Orleans street.
15 people have been confirmed to have died as a result of the incident, while 30 others were injured, NBC News said on January 2.
It's thought that Jabbar intentionally drove the vehicle into the crowd in a 'premeditated and evil act', and acted alone.
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18-year-old Kareem Badawi has been named as one of the people to have lost his life in the devastating ordeal, and now, his father has spoken out and paid tribute to his late son.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Belal Badawi said: "We’re going through an awful time right now, our son is just 18 years old.
"He is a good kid, he’s smart," the grieving father went on to say of Kareem.
"Everyone was back together for the holiday period, that’s why he was back in town."
Recalling his last text exchange with his son, Belal continued to share: "I texted him at midnight to say Happy New Year, and he replied saying 'Happy New Year Daddy', and that’s the last time I heard from him.
"We kept calling him after we saw the news, because we knew he was in the attack area."
As well as Kareem, one of his friends, named Parker Vidrine, is reported to have sadly died in the attack.
Jabbar, the person said to be behind the wheel of the truck that mowed into party-goers, was shot dead by police on the fateful night after they returned gunfire at the army veteran.
In a statement issued on New Year's Day, the FBI said: "Today, at approximately 3:15 a.m. CST, an individual drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 10 and injuring dozens of others.
"After hitting the crowd, he exited the vehicle and fired upon local law enforcement. Law enforcement returned fire, and the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene. Two law enforcement officers were injured and transported to a local hospital."
It went on: "The subject has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas. He was driving a Ford pickup truck, which appears to have been rented, and we are working to confirm how the subject came into possession of the vehicle."
The statement added that an ISIS flag was found in Jabbar's vehicle. With this in mind, the FBI are 'working to determine the subject's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations'.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].
Niamh Shackleton