Author: Gram Slattery
(Reuters) – Fifteen people were killed and 30 injured after a U.S. Army veteran carrying an ISIS flag in his pickup truck swerved around makeshift barriers and plowed into revelers in New Orleans’ crowded French Quarter on New Year’s Day.
Although authorities have not released the names of the victims, at least four of those killed have been identified by family members or other associates.
NICHOL PEREZ
Nicole Perez, 28, had just received a promotion, was moving into a new apartment and was teaching her 4-year-old son to read before she was killed on Wednesday morning, Kimberly Usher, her boss, told Reuters.
Usher, who owns the New Orleans deli where Perez worked, said that Perez would sometimes bring her son to work and play spelling games with him. Usher described Perez as a hardworking mother and dedicated employee.
“She was just getting a new apartment, so she and her son were about to start a new life,” Usher said. – And now that’s gone.
TIGRA BECH
Tiger Bech, 27, a native of nearby Lafayette, Louisiana and a graduate of Princeton University, was killed Wednesday morning, according to Marty Cannon, principal of the high school Bech attended. Cannon said he learned of Bech’s death through his network of mutual friends and associates.
Cannon described Bech, who played football at Princeton, as an extraordinary intellect and athlete.
“I’ve seen a lot of great athletes, but there are things Tiger could do on the football field that I haven’t seen anyone else do,” Cannon said.
“He was also a man of enormous depth. He was smart, he was an intellectual, just an impressive guy.”
Bech, who worked in finance in New York, was in town for the holidays, Cannon said.
NIKYRA CHEYENNE DEDEAUX
Nikyra Dedeaux, 18, an aspiring nurse from Mississippi, was among those killed in the attack, according to the Times-Picayune newspaper.
Dedeaux was scheduled to start a caregiver program at Blue Cliff College later in January and was in New Orleans celebrating New Year’s with a cousin and a friend, the newspaper said, citing associates of the victim.
Melissa Dedeaux, identified by the Times-Picayune as Nikyra Dedeaux’s mother, appeared to confirm her daughter’s death in a widely shared Facebook (NASDAQ: ) post on Wednesday.
“When your parents tell you not to go anywhere, listen to them,” Dedeaux wrote. “my baby is gone. my baby is gone, she is no longer with us.”
Attempts to contact the elder Dedeaux and confirm her relationship with Nikyra Dedeaux were not immediately successful Wednesday night.
REGGIE HUNTER
Reggie Hunter, 37, a father of two from Baton Rouge, was among those killed, the Times-Picayune reported, citing a relative of the victim.
The newspaper reported that Hunter, a warehouse manager, was proud of the academic achievements of his eldest school-aged son and enjoyed working out with friends and family.
Independent (LON:) attempts to contact Hunter’s cousin, Shirell Jackson, were not immediately successful.
