In the wake of a deadly New Year’s Day attack on a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, police indicated that Wednesday night’s College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame at the Superdome will go on as planned.
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said police officers would work to ensure safety at the event, suggesting the Sugar Bowl will be held as scheduled at 7:45 p.m. Central time.
The Sugar Bowl Committee said in a statement that it is “devastated by the terrible events from early this morning,” and said that it is in ongoing discussions with authorities.
In a statement, the University of Notre Dame said it was “working with law enforcement and others to determine the full scope and impact of the tragedy.”
Notre Dame also asked fans to “join us in prayer for those injured and lost in this senseless act of violence.”
“Those staying at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel are welcome to join us for the previously scheduled Mass there at 11 a.m. Otherwise, we ask that you join us in prayer from wherever you are,” the university said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
The University of Georgia released its own statement on social media.
“We are horrified and saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred in the early hours of New Year’s Day in New Orleans. University personnel are working to determine if any UGA students, faculty, staff, alumni or fans were among the victims. We offer our deepest condolences to all the victims and their families, and we stand in solidarity with the New Orleans community,” the statement reads.
Parts of Bourbon Street have been closed off from Canal Street to St. Anne in the wake of the attack, the FBI said.
“There’s so much to enjoy about New Orleans… making sure that our routes and the Superdome are safe today for the game,” Kirkpatrick said. “We had this tragic event, and we’re sorry again to everyone in our community, but we do want you to go about the day, just stay away from Bourbon.”
A man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m., killing 10 people, and sending at least 35 others to the hospital. The FBI said the driver was killed in a firefight with police.
“This man was trying to run over as many people as he could,” said Kirkpatrick, adding that two police officers were hit by gunfire but were in a stable condition. A long gun was recovered from the scene, law enforcement sources told CBS News.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell referred to it as a likely “terrorist attack,” and the FBI said in a news release that they are investigating it “as an act of terrorism.”
