- Authorities say a driver deliberately plowed into a crowd of people in New Orleans early Wednesday.
- The police said 10 people were killed and at least 35 more were injured.
- Officials and witnesses indicated the driver also exchanged gunfire with the police.
The New Orleans police on Wednesday said 10 people were killed and at least 35 more were injured after a driver steered into a crowd in the heart of the city's party district.
Superintendent Anne E. Kirkpatrick of the New Orleans Police Department said during a press conference that a man drove a pickup truck down Bourbon Street "at a very fast pace."
She characterized the incident, which took place at about 3:15 a.m., as an attack and said the driver had tried to hit as many people as possible, driving around barriers that she said were meant to block off streets.
She also said the driver shot two police officers, who she said were in stable condition.
Kirkpatrick said it appeared that most of those injured were locals rather than tourists.
An unnamed federal law-enforcement official told CNN that the suspect had also died. It was unclear when and how.
On January 1, President Joe Biden posted on X that the "FBI is taking the lead in the investigation and is investigating this incident as an act of terrorism."
NOLA Ready, the city's emergency preparedness campaign, had initially said there was "a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street."
Kevin Garcia, a 22-year-old who was present at the time, told CNN, "All I seen was a truck slamming into everyone on the left side of Bourbon sidewalk."
He said that "a body came flying at me," and that he heard gunshots.
One witness told CBS that a driver plowed into the crowd on Bourbon Street at high speed and that the driver got out and started firing a weapon, with the police firing back.
Kirkpatrick said the FBI was taking over the case.
Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana said on X on Wednesday that a "horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning."
"Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene," he wrote, referring to his wife. "I urge all near the scene to avoid the area."
At the press conference Wednesday morning, Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the incident "a terrorist attack" and said an investigation was underway.
Later in the conference, however, Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's New Orleans field office, said the incident was "not a terrorist event." Officials at the press conference didn't take questions and didn't address the status of the driver.
She said an improvised explosive device was found and authorities were working to confirm whether it was a viable device.
Bourbon Street, in the city's French Quarter, is a famous party destination.
Some streets in and around the French Quarter were due to be closed for New Year's celebrations, with Canal Street expected to stay open unless traffic got too bad, the local outlet Fox 8 WVUE-TV reported.
New Orleans is due to host the Sugar Bowl, a college football game, on Wednesday, with fans of the University of Georgia and the University of Notre Dame descending on the city.
Kirkpatrick said at the press conference that the city had "called in every officer that we have."
She said she still wanted people to enjoy the celebrations but to stay away from Bourbon Street.
The New Orleans Police Department on Monday had said that it would be staffed at 100% for both celebrations and that 300 additional officers would be joining from other law-enforcement agencies.
"Residents and visitors can expect to see a strong presence of marked and unmarked police vehicles, as well as officers on foot, bike, and horseback as part of the department's Mounted Patrol," Kirkpatrick said at the time.
"This increased visibility will enhance public safety, provide crowd control, and allow for rapid response to any incidents," she added.
