The University of Mississippi student injured in the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans has been identified.
Parker Vidrine, an 18-year-old freshman at Ole Miss, was among more than 30 others who sustained injuries when Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an ISIS flag-bearing U.S. Army veteran, drove a truck into a crowd of people. The attack happened just after 3 a.m. on Bourbon Street in the historic French Quarter.
According to a GoFundMe set up to raise money for Vidrine’s medical care, the teenager was struck by the vehicle alongside his friend, Kareem Badawi. While Vidrine survived the impact, Badawi did not.
Vidrine was rushed to a local hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and was placed on a ventilator to help his body heal. After multiple days in the ICU, he returned to his Baton Rouge home but still has a lengthy road to recovery.
“What was supposed to be a joyful night out with friends, all home from college breaks to ring in the New Year, quickly turned into an unspeakable nightmare,” a portion of a GoFundMe description reads. “Parker was struck by the truck, alongside his dear friend Kareem Badawi, who tragically lost his life in the attack.”
Gulfport native Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux and Carriere native Matthew Tenedorio were among the 14 killed in the brutal incident. At this time, the FBI and local law enforcement are continuing to investigate the terrorist attack.
