Breaking News: Gunman Identified in New Orleans Mass Shooting
The death toll from the New Orleans shooting incident has risen to 15, as reported by French Press, citing FBI sources.
The suspected gunman, identified as 42-year-old Shavouk-Duin Jabbar, served in the U.S. military for 13 years, including a tour in Afghanistan, Pentagon officials stated, according to Reuters.
Authorities have confirmed that Jabbar did not act alone and that collaborators are being sought. The FBI revealed that Jabbar had an ISIS flag in his Ford pickup truck, and the attack is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism.
While investigations continue, motives behind Jabbar’s actions, a U.S. citizen and Texas native, remain unclear.
Jabbar was fatally shot at the scene by responding police officers. Prior to his service in the army, Jabbar served in the U.S. Navy from August 2004 under a delayed entry enlistment program, but was discharged, a Navy official confirmed to Reuters.
Business records show Jabbar was involved in multiple business ventures in recent years. In a 2020 YouTube video promoting a real estate business, a man by the same name discusses how his military experience taught him the importance of perseverance and aggression in negotiations, identifying himself as a manager at Blue Meadow Properties LLC in Texas. However, the company’s license was inactive in 2022, and state records show Jabbar’s real estate license expired in February 2023.
The shooter rented a Ford pickup truck which he used to ram into a crowd in New Orleans’ French Quarter before shooting at police, injuring 35 and killing at least 15. Authorities found weapons and a potential explosive device in the truck, along with additional suspected explosive devices at the scene.
"At this stage, we do not believe Jabbar acted alone. We are actively pursuing all leads, including those connected to his associates," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, Alleta Duncan.
Legal documents indicate Jabbar’s divorce from his wife in 2022. They have one child together. Prior to Sunday’s attack, Jabbar had no known convictions for violent crimes, though he was convicted of petty larceny in 2002 and arrested for driving with a suspended license in 2005.
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