Little girl’s heartbreaking final act before she was mowed down by New Orleans terrorist on Bourbon Street

A little girl was seen dancing just before she was gunned down by a terrorist in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, a witness revealed.

Fifteen people were killed and 35 others injured after Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, drove a white Ford SUV into pedestrians crossing the 2025 French Quarter in New Orleans at around 3:15 a.m. local time on Wednesday. NOLA.com reports this.

One partygoer, Jimmy Cothran, shared the gruesome scenes he witnessed, including “horribly deformed” and “twisted” bodies being run over by Jabbar, a US citizen born in Texas.

Cothran, a New Orleans native who has lived in New Orleans for 15 years, shared NBC News that he took cover on the balcony of a nightclub when the horrific attack unfolded, with a total of eight bodies lying on the street within ‘just a few seconds’.

One of those bodies was that of a little girl who Cothran said he saw enjoying the New Year’s celebration before being left “as flat as a pillow” on the ground.

“A little girl we had seen dancing as we walked down the street was as flat as a pillow. I mean, it just kept going,” Cothran recalled. “Every eye shot – body, body, body, body, body. It was incredible.’

Further details about the girl’s identity and whether she survived the attack have not yet been shared.

Cothran, who likened the nightmarish scene to a movie, said he also witnessed an “obviously deceased” mother and a man with multiple tire tracks across his body.

“Dead right in front of us lay someone’s mother, twisted, clearly deceased,” he said, adding that she was “horribly disfigured.”

“One man, deceased, had tire marks on his back, and when someone turned him over, he had tire marks on his stomach and was clearly crushed.”

Two Israeli civilians were among at least 35 injured in the terror attack. None of the victims have yet been identified.

Jabbar was killed during a shootout with officers after he exited his vehicle and began shooting, wounding two NOLA police officers who are in stable condition.

Ambulances took the injured to five area hospitals, the city added, and the FBI has taken over the ongoing investigation.

The FBI formally confirmed it is investigating the tragedy “as an act of terror” after New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said she had spoken to the White House about what she described as a “terrorist attack.”

The truck that killed 15 people in the massacre entered the U.S. from Mexico through Eagle Pass, Texas, more than a month ago, Fox News reported. It was previously misreported, such as two days ago, by the outlet.

The vehicle was rented from Turo, a car sharing app. Another 42-year-old man who mentioned it lives in Houston and “has already been contacted by federal investigators,” ABC 13 reported.

Following the horrific tragedy, an image of what appears to be a flagpole on the back of the unknown driver’s truck circulated online, sparking massive speculation.

Photos taken after the collision show what appears to be a metallic gray jacket wrapped around a flagpole, but video taken earlier in the morning showed what appears to be a black flag dangling from the same ‘pole’ .

It is unclear whether it was placed there before or after the horrific attack.

Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser said WDBU officials are investigating whether the attack was linked to ISIS and whether the flag on the back of the truck was linked to the group.

Authorities investigating the ‘mass casualty incident’ say the driver exhibited ‘highly deliberate behaviour’ after driving into crowds of people before they got out and fired a weapon.

Officials said an improvised explosive device was found in the area. Around 8:30 a.m. a ‘small explosion’ took place in the neighborhood. It was detonated by the bomb squad, WLWT’s Steven Albritton reported.

Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said the suspect was “determined to cause carnage.” No information has been released about his identity.

Videos circulating on social media showed a chaotic scene in the tourist hotspot as people ran from the victim-strewn area as bullets rang out in the background.

Other witnesses claim the suspect was “wearing full body armor” and “armed with an assault rifle,” and officials said he was “trying to run over as many people as possible.”

Dozens of police responded to what authorities declared a “mass casualty event” and part of the road was cordoned off. Paramedics, ambulances and vehicles from the coroner’s office were also seen at the scene.

At a news conference, Cantrell described the incident as a “terrorist attack.” Initially, the FBI said there was no connection to terrorism, but later confirmed that the mass fatality was indeed being investigated as such.

President-elect Donald Trump declared Wednesday morning during Truth Social that “the Trump Administration will fully support the city of New Orleans.”

“When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was continually refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,” he wrote.

‘Crime in our country is at a level that no one has ever seen before. Our hearts are with all the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department.

“The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans in investigating and remediating this act of pure evil!”

President Joe Biden also shared a statement saying he has told his team to “ensure all resources are available” to New Orleans, and that “there is no justification for violence of any kind.”

“I have charged my team to ensure that all resources are available as federal, state and local law enforcement officials work diligently to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and ensure that no there is no longer any threat.

“I will continue to receive updates throughout the day and will have more to say as we have more information to share. In the meantime, my heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday.

“There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any community in our country,” Biden said.