A year after deadly terrorist attack, Georgia fans return to New Orleans
It should have been the perfect time for University of Georgia football fans.
A trip to New Orleans, New Year’s Eve celebrations and a return to the Sugar Bowl.
But before French Quarter revelers made it back to their hotels — and just hours before the scheduled College Football Playoff game between the Bulldogs and Notre Dame — the fun came to a crashing halt. At 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2025, a 42-year-old Texas man drove a pickup truck into the Bourbon Street crowd and then exchanged gunfire with law enforcement, who killed him.
A year after the terrorist attack left 14 dead and injured 57, including UGA student Elle Eisele, the Bulldogs and their fans return to New Orleans this week for another Sugar Bowl game.
The city’s leaders say they are ready, and they will have the support of state and national law enforcement. Many from Georgia say they’re headed back, refusing to be scared while never forgetting the tragedy.
The attack happened right below the hotel room of Sandra Gerald’s family. Hours earlier, the UGA graduate said she and others watched the driver of a pickup truck barrel down a street, forcing pedestrians to quickly jump onto the sidewalk. She can’t be sure, but Gerald said she wonders if it was the same driver who later returned to Bourbon Street.
She and her family are back in New Orleans for this year’s game.
“You either live in fear or you don’t,” Gerald told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week. “If people want to do something terrible, they’re going to do something terrible. All (the police) can do is respond immediately.”
New Orleans ready for visitors
A city known for hospitality, food and fun, New Orleans became a federal crime scene in those early morning hours. In the days that followed, investigators learned that the man responsible, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had extremist views and had spent weeks researching and planning his attack, according to the FBI.
New Orleans hosts many big events, including the annual Mardi Gras festival. By all accounts, New Year’s Eve 2024 and the following day’s bowl game should have been almost routine for law enforcement. Their presence was visible to visitors from Georgia.
Vehicles weren’t allowed in the area, and there were makeshift barriers in place. But the measures weren’t enough to stop the attack.
The city has learned from the tragedy and strengthened its partnerships with various agencies, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
“We’re leveraging all of our law enforcement resources and public safety partners … absolutely taking in what we experienced almost one year ago,” Cantrell said. “I believe that we’ve proven, again, since that time how we have gone the extra mile to ensure the safety again of our residents as well as our visitors.”
The Louisiana National Guard was expected to arrive Tuesday, plus the Louisiana State Police has a troop in the city. It will be all hands on deck for police, who will enforce an “enhanced security zone” in the Bourbon Street area that includes streets closed to vehicles and bag searches. An estimated 800 members of law enforcement will be tasked with keeping the area safe, city leaders said.
In November 2024, New Orleans began a project to replace the previous bollards — the short posts that keep vehicles out of certain areas — with removable, stainless-steel versions. Those weren’t in place on Jan. 1, which many believe could have stopped the attack. By February, the improved system was in place, according to the city’s Department of Public Works.
While the city says it is ready, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security denied the request of New Orleans leaders for a higher risk rating for the Sugar Bowl and New Year’s Eve events, Collin Arnold, the city’s homeland security chief, said Monday.
The federal homeland security office categorized the New Orleans events this week as a “SEAR 3” threat level rather than “SEAR 1,” Arnold said. The city would have been eligible for additional federal resources if the threat level were higher.
SEAR, or Special Event Assessment Rating events, are submitted to Homeland Security, which determines the ratings. The level then dictates how much assistance the government will provide, according to the department.
“Initially we were disappointed, but it is what it is,” Arnold said. “But we have great partnerships with federal authorities here locally. They’re going to do their part regardless of some ranking on some form.”
New Orleans native Bryan Lagarde serves as the director of Project NOLA, a nonprofit organization that runs the city’s crime camera system, and said the advanced technology available is a major help with fighting crime.
Lagarde’s organization purchases the cameras and loans them to individuals and businesses. The technology includes facial recognition and license plate readers, and has already proved crucial for law enforcement, including earlier in the year when 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish Jail, he said.
His city is a resilient one, Lagarde said, and has learned from the terrorist attack.
“It opened our eyes to things so that we could better prepare,” he said. “Anything could happen at any time, anywhere. Everyone is preparing as though it might happen again, even though it’s unlikely.”
Georgia fans hitting the road
According to New Orleans tourism leaders, Thursday’s game is sold out, and 90% of the city’s hotels are booked. UGA fans say they will again make the trip with hopes that it’s not the final game of the season for the Bulldogs.
Shannon Shears’ father, Joel Durden, played for legendary coach Vince Dooley, and she and her husband both graduated from the university. Plus, her two children are alums. So the family just couldn’t miss the showdown against Notre Dame.
After enjoying the New Year’s Eve celebrations, she said they headed back to their hotel, making sure friends also made it back safely.
Early the next morning, her phone rang.
“Are y’all OK?” Shears said her mother asked. “There’s been a car crash.”
They had been so close to the scene, Shears said. She and others were frantically checking to make sure everyone they knew in town was safe.
“It was the first 30 minutes of pure worry and panic,” she said. “Then we spent the rest of the morning watching the news.”
The game was delayed a day while investigators worked to make sure no subsequent attacks were planned. Many visitors remained in their hotels, watching news updates.
“I can remember being so frightened to walk outside,” Karen Waldrep told the AJC. “I have never in my lifetime experienced anything like that.”
Waldrep loved traveling for games as a member of the UGA Georgette dance squad from 1988 through 1992. Her daughter now attends UGA, and along with her husband, the Waldreps attend many games.
Waldrep said she felt safe during her last trip to New Orleans. But her family won’t be returning this year after the terrifying experience.
“Not that I want to live my life and not go anywhere, but you do think about it,” she said.
Eisele, the UGA student who was injured in the attack, is among 21 people who filed a lawsuit in February against New Orleans and the police department. Eisele’s family did not respond to a request for comment about her recovery. Social media posts indicate she has returned to college life.
As UGA’s director of athletic bands, Brett Bawcum said he can’t help but think about the “what ifs” when leading the nearly 400 members of the Redcoats band and staff to major events. That’s why band leaders gave the students a curfew to be back in their hotel rooms by 2 a.m. on Jan. 1.
The curfew might not have thrilled students, but it likely prevented any band members from being involved in the attack. Instead, the Redcoats spent New Year’s Day in their hotel, where the football team also stayed.
This time, there are even more safety measures in place, Bawcum said. The band and team will travel with additional law enforcement officers and stay at a hotel farther from the Superdome, he said. The band has also hired a New Orleans bus company so drivers will be familiar with city streets, Bawcum said.
He said he is confident the university’s efforts will keep everyone safe, though there’s always risk with such a large group.
“After 9/11, on Sept. 12, 2001, there wasn’t a safer place to be than in New York City, and I think the same of New Orleans this year,” he said.
IF YOU GO
For those planning to visit New Orleans for this week’s festivities and Sugar Bowl game, officials advise downloading the city’s emergency alert cellphone app. Sign up for NOLA Ready online or text NOLAREADY to 77295.
