Jimmy Cothran, a witness to the New Orleans attack on New Year’s, recounted his experience of the event and detailed what has been the “hardest” to grapple with post-tragedy.
The attack on Bourbon Street early Wednesday left at least 14 dead and dozens injured, according to the FBI. The agency identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas and Army veteran who was inspired by the Islamic State.
“There’s names and faces with these victims now, these innocent people full of life — just gone,” Cothran told “The Story” on Thursday.
Cothran recounted seeing the bodies of multiple victims. One was Nicole Perez, a 27-year-old mother to a 4-year-old boy.
“Ms. Perez was the first body I’d seen, and, I mean, it broke me when they showed that picture of her and her son, because that wasn’t the woman I’d seen,” Cothran said. “When I looked down and looked up, just the pain and everything she probably went through in those last moments, and then being by herself there in the middle of the road.”
Another victim, Nikyra Dedeaux, was 18 years old when she was killed by the high-speed truck.
“Nikyra, she was the one to the left a little further down from Ms. Perez — a very small girl,” said Cothran, explaining that he had previously seen her dancing and having a good time prior to the impact.
“She didn’t look like a human,” Cothran recalled after she was hit.
Cothran also criticized the lack of barriers in the city, arguing the truck would have never reached that speed if barriers had been replaced.
“Just so much could have been better,” he said.
Barriers from 2017 were reportedly removed in November as part of a larger security infrastructure project and are in the process of being replaced with new bollards by the city, according to NOLA.com.
Cothran expressed his grief for the victims and shared a message for the community recovering from the horrific incident.
“People take so much for granted as far as how we treat each other,” he said. “I mean, when you have things this heinous and this evil, you can’t let the small things dictate a minute of your life when that life might not be there tomorrow or later this evening.”
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