VOA News | Wednesday, January 1, 2025 
Aspiring nurse, football star, father among dead in New Orleans attack

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — An 18-year-old girl dreaming of becoming a nurse, a father of two and a former Princeton football star suffered fatal injuries when the driver of a white pickup truck sped down Bourbon Street, packed with holiday revelers early Wednesday morning. Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed in the New Orleans New Year’s Day truck attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories. New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said in a statement late Wednesday that the names of the dead would be released once autopsies were complete and next of kin were informed. About 30 people were injured. – Nikyra Dedeaux – Zion Parsons of Gulfport, Mississippi, had been celebrating New Year’s Eve during his first night on Bourbon Street when a vehicle appeared and plowed into his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux, who he said had dreamed of becoming a nurse. “A truck hit the corner and comes barreling through, throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air,” Parsons, 18, told The Associated Press. “It hit her and flung her like at least 30 feet, and I was just lucky to be alive.” As the crowd scattered in the chaos, he ran through a gruesome aftermath of bleeding and maimed victims, hearing gunshots and explosive sounds. “Bodies, bodies all up and down the street...Read more