The attorney representing two New Orleans Police Department officers involved in the shootout with the suspect who attacked Bourbon Street early New Year's morning called his clients' actions heroic in an interview Thursday.
The officers were part of the shootout that killed Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the man accused of barreling a pickup truck down Bourbon Street, killing 14 and injuring dozens more. The FBI has said that Jabbar's attack was an act of terrorism. He was 42, NOLA.com.
Eric Hessler, who works as an attorney for the Police Association of New Orleans, commended the actions of law enforcement during the incident. He represents two officers from the shootout, while University Medical Center has said they treated five shooting victims after the attack.
Hessler said the officers were in "extreme" close quarters with Jabbar, who was "prepared to go to battle." Despite Jabbar's ballistics vest, head gear and military background, the officers fired the shots that killed him.
