Those who died after a man drove a pickup through the French Quarter highlighted the diverse mix of people who are drawn to the city.
Things had been looking up for Elliot Wilkinson, a 40-year-old man who was among the 14 people killed in New Orleans this week in what federal authorities were investigating as a terrorist attack.
Mr. Wilkinson had been released from prison and was homeless, but he had started searching for an apartment, according to a local homeless outreach group, Unity of Greater New Orleans. And he was back in one of his favorite places, according to his brother, Cecil Wilkinson.
“That’s where he wanted to go, when he got out, so that’s where he went,” the brother said. “He loved that city.”
In the early hours of New Year’s Day, a Texas man drove a pickup into the city’s French Quarter, where crowds of people had gathered along Bourbon Street to celebrate. Fourteen people were killed, and dozens more injured, including two police officers hurt during a shootout that killed the driver.
Bourbon Street’s bars, live music and crowds draw a lively but diverse mix of people, including tourists, buskers and homeless people down on their luck. On a holiday night, it drew a youthful crowd. Many of the victims were in their teens and twenties.
