New Orleans
Pierce Countians awoke New Year’s Day to the news of a terrorist attack in New Orleans, Louisiana.
According to reports, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. born Army veteran who had recently joined the ISIS Islamic terrorist group, drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more.
The attack occurred on the same day the University of Georgia Bulldogs were set to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Caesar’s Superdome in the college football playoff series.
The Times has confirmed no local residents were among the victims of the carnage, but several Pierce Countians were in New Orleans for the game.
Pierce County Bears first couple Ryan and Maggie Herring, Pierce County funeral director Adam Hart, his wife, Amber, and their children, Hinson and Hindree, and Patterson City Clerk June Echols Bennett and her children, Brett Bennett and Victoria Conner, were among local residents in New Orleans at the time of the incident.
Fortunately, all of them were in their hotel rooms asleep at the time of the incident.
“I remember waking up to the sounds of lots of sirens but thought that was just an ordinary sound for the middle of the night in a city like New Orleans on New Years Eve,” said Maggie Herring.
Turns out the Herrings’ hotel was right around the corner from where the attack occurred.
“We had no idea what had just occurred. We awoke to tons of texts the next morning asking if we were okay,” she said.
The Herrings said they were both confused about the number of texts and the concern expressed for them.
“We laughed and thought maybe our friends didn’t think we could handle a New Orleans New Year’s Eve,” said Herring.
The sad, sobering reality finally sank in when they turned on the television and saw the news. a “It was a somber feeling,” she said.
The couple said they had friends who stayed closer to Bourbon Street who had to be evacuated from their hotel rooms after the 3:15 a.m. attack.
“It was a real long, scary night for them,” she said.
The Herrings said they considered leaving New Orleans when the game was postponed and rescheduled for the following evening, but they decided to stay.
“They closed most of the roads so we just hung out in the lobby most of the next day and the streets were eerily quiet after that,” Herring said. “The police/FBI presence was strong and we felt very safe walking to the game. We saw snipers on all the rooftops and heavy artillery all the way to the stadium.”
The Harts had a similar experience and had walked through the French Quarter just hours before the attack.
“We walked down Canal Street and went into Kilwins on the corner of Canal and Bourbon to get Hindree an ice cream. Hinson and I walked back outside taking in the sights of the city,” Hart said.
Hart said he tries to stay aware of his surroundings, especially with his family accompanying him.
“I’m almost always highly aware of my surroundings anywhere I am so repeatedly, I told my kids to stay in reach of me at all times so I could grab, pull, or push them in any direction at any point if needed. So, over and over, I kept telling them that and always had both of them on the side of me away from traffic where I felt they were nearer to safety. If anyone got hit, I’d much prefer it to be me,” he said. “Amber is normally our ‘tour guide’ so while she’s also highly protective of our kids and watching their almost every move, she’s also busy guiding us from place to place, often looking back and forth at her cell phone for directions as needed. So I go into the over protective mode when we are in busy, unfamiliar places.”
New Orleans is a busy place and it was New Year’s Eve.
“We knew it was New Years and drinking in a town like this never stops, so of course, it started early. We weren’t in fear of anything. Law enforcement was out in abundance early also. But I just sensed with the drinking, fairly fast driving and narrow streets, the chances of a vehicle running into people was a high possibility. So I was just being cautious due to the atmosphere.”
The Harts were all safely back in their hotel room and sound asleep before 2025 arrived.
“Little did we know we’d wake to the news that hours later, that same spot we stood and crossed would become the scene of the terrorist attack,” he said. “While we waited for more information from public safety officials. We went back downtown to eat brunch and passed by the scene. It was surreal to say the least.”
The Harts said they also contemplated leaving New Orleans and coming back home.
“While I want my kids to be aware of their surroundings and always respect danger, I don’t want them living in fear and running from it. So, we didn’t let this heinous act keep us from making memories and thanks to local law enforcement, state troopers, Homeland Security, and many others, we actually felt very safe for the remaining couple of days we were there.”
Patterson City Clerk June Echols Bennett and her children, Brett and Victoria, were also among those making the trek to the big game.
“It was an experience to say the least,' said Bennett.
The Bennetts stayed on Canal Street across from the Bulldogs hotel and enjoyed supper at a seafood place on Bourbon Street a few hours before the rampage.
“It’s just surreal to think about. We were there to have fun and enjoy the game and do some sightseeing and then to think that something so tragic, so terrible happened right where we had been.”
Bennett said some of the victims who died in the attack were killed near the restaurant they ate at.
“It is just a sobering thing to think about. We were there to enjoy a football game and then to think of those who lost their lives.”
Bennett said one of the things that sticks out to her is the day after the attack.
“We were still in the area walking around and there was just silence in the city—not even a note of jazz being played.”
All three families arrived safely back home by the weekend.
