Ex-Princeton Football Player Killed In New Orleans Truck Attack

NEW ORLEANS, LA — A former Princeton University football star was among the victims killed when a driver plowed into a crowd early Wednesday in New Orleans.

Tiger Bech competed for the Princeton Tigers from 2016-18, earning second-team All-Ivy League honors as a return specialist in his final two seasons.

At least 10 people were killed when a man slammed a pickup truck into a large crowd during a New Year's celebration on Bourbon Street, reports the Associated Press. More than 30 were injured.

The FBI is investigating the early-morning attack as an act of terrorism.

Bech's brother, who played football at Texas Christian University, addressed his brother's death on social media.

"Love you always brother," Jack Bech wrote on X. "You inspired me everyday now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us."

Princeton Tigers coach Bob Surace has been communicating with Bech's father and sharing memories of his former player, according to ESPN.

"He might be the first Tiger to ever play for us, and that nickname kind of described him as a competitor," Surace told the news outlet. "He was somebody that somehow, like in the key moments, just excelled and was full of energy, full of life."

Bech worked as a stockbroker in New York and was visiting New Orleans for the holidays, ESPN says.

The FBI identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Citizen and Army veteran from Texas, according to the AP. The pickup truck bore the ISIS flag, according to the federal agency.

Jabbar, 42, slammed the pickup truck into a crowd before exiting with a gun, officials said. Police fatally shot him.

The FBI is investigating whether Jabbar had ties with any terrorist organizations.