BREAKING: First victims of New Orleans terror attack identified

A little over 12 hours after Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove into a New Year’s crowd in New Orleans and opened fire, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens of others, the names of the victims of the attack are coming out. 

Among those killed were 18-year-old Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, of Gulfport, Mississippi. She was supposed to be starting a nursing program at Blue Cliff College in just under two weeks, NOLA.com reported. She had gone to New Orleans with her cousin and friend to ring in the new year. 

Her mother, Melissa Dedeaux, told the outlet, "I just want to see my baby. She was the sweetest person. She would give you anything, anything." Her daughter was the third oldest of six children. 

37-year-old Reggie Hunter, a father of two from Baton Rouge, went to Bourbon Street with his cousin. Hunter died after being struck by the truck driven by Jabbar. His cousin was also hit and has suffered extensive internal injuries. 

Also killed was 27-year-old Tiger Bech, of Lafayette, who died late Wednesday morning after sustaining catastrophic injuries from being struck by the truck. Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St. Thomas More Catholic High School where Bech had played football, said that Bech graduated from Princeton in 2021 with a finance degree and worked as a trader in a New York brokerage firm. He had been in New Orleans for the holidays. Bech was kept on life support until his family could arrive to the hospital.

27-year-old Nicole Perez had gone out with her friends to celebrate New Year’s Eve when she was hit by Jabbar. She was transported to University Hospital but died from her injuries, said Kimberly Usher-Fall, Perez’s employer and family spokesperson, ABC News reported. Usher-Fall said that Perez had recently been promoted to manager at one of her stores and brought her four-year-old son, Melo, to work with her and was helping him learn to read. 

Usher-Fell wrote in a GoFundMe set up for Perez's burial expenses, "It is with sadness that I write this GoFundMe. My friend and my manager of our store, Nicole, was killed this morning in the attack on New Orleans Bourbon Street. She was so beautiful and full of life. Her son Melo is now without his momma, and we are without our friend and dedicated employee. I’m hoping to get some help for her burial expenses and to help her son with expenses he will need to transition into a new living situation."

University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead early Wednesday afternoon revealed that a student of the school was among those injured in the attack.

"At this point, we have learned that a University of Georgia student was critically injured in the attack and is receiving medical treatment. I have spoken to the student’s family and shared my concern, support and well wishes on behalf of the entire UGA community.  I would like to express my gratitude to all the first responders who moved so quickly to help those affected by this senseless act of violence, as well as to the medical personnel who are caring for the injured," Morehead wrote. "As we continue to hold the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers, the University will do everything in its power to support those in our community who have been impacted by this unspeakable event."