2 Officers Shot During New Orleans New Year's Event Now in 'Stable' Condition, Police Chief Says
Authorities said the suspect was "hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage he did"
Authorities said the suspect was "hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage he did"
Two police officers who were shot by a man authorities said tried to "run over as many people as he possibly could" during New Year's festivities on New Orleans' iconic Bourbon Street are now in stable condition, law enforcement officials said in a press conference Wednesday.
Ten people are confirmed dead and at least 35 others injured after the incident on Jan. 1, when a truck drove into crowds of New Year's revelers down Bourbon Street at a high rate of speed.
The New Orleans Police Department has confirmed that the suspect was then killed after he exchanged gunshots with the police around 3:15 a.m. local time.
In a Wednesday morning press conference, Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the situation was "complex and serious," adding that the suspect "fired on our officers from his vehicle when he crashed his vehicle."
"Two of our officers have been shot," Kirkpatrick said. "They are stable and we will give you an update on them."
Kirkpatrick added: "We had over 300 officers out here, and because of the intentional mindset of this perpetrator who went around our barricades in order to conduct this, he was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage he did."
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Related: 10 People Killed, 30 Injured After Truck Is Driven into New Year's Eve Crowd in New Orleans: Police
Authorities added that the FBI will now be taking over the investigation, but say that it "is not a terrorist event."
Authorities are now working to identify whether the suspect had attempted to use improvised explosive devices in the incident.
"This is not a terrorist event. What it is right now is there are improvised explosive devices that was found and we are working on confirming if this is a viable device or not,” Alethea Duncan, assistant special agent in charge for the FBI’s New Orleans office, said during the press conference.
Kirkpatrick noted that the Sugar Bowl — which is set to take place on Jan. 1 at the New Orleans Super Dome — is set to continue.
"There’s much to enjoy about New Orleans and we are going to make sure that our routes and the Super Dome are safe today for the game. And yeah, we had this tragic event and we’re sorry to everyone in our community, but we do want you to go about the day. As we say, just stay away from Bourbon," she said.