No New Year deserves to start on such a tragic note. “He was hellbent on creating the carnage,” Anne Kirkpatrick, New Orleans Superintendent of Police, pointed out while talking about the tragic incident that occurred in New Orleans during the New Year celebration. Bourbon Street, a historic front in the French Quarter, turned into a nightmare for every single visitor. Videos and images circulating on X show graphic scenes of people who passed away, lying on the road. This incident has managed to shake up America, and it has also raised concerns amongst the students of the University of Georgia.

Bourbon St. is 8 hours away from Athens, but the chances of students and staff being present there are still pretty high. The Sugar Bowl is happening in Louisiana, which is why many fans of the Bulldogs and even the University were concerned regarding safety. Fortunately, no one in the UGA student community was harmed. The incident took place at around 3:15 am. A white truck was reported to have been seen ramming through a crowd of people. Following this, the driver got off and opened fire on the people.

Bulldogs QB Carson Beck‘s sister Kylie Beck shared UGA’s update on her story. “In the wake of last night’s event, we are grateful to share that all of our students and staff are safe,” UGA mentioned. It is being reported that 30 or even more people who were there to celebrate New Year, were injured. UGA Athletics has also issued a statement. “We are deeply saddened by the senseless violence that occurred in New Orleans,” UGA mentioned.

10 people have been pronounced dead, and the investigation is still ongoing. The “accident” or “attack” is not a DUI case. Kirkpatrick has cleared the air around it by mentioning that the first thing the man did after getting out of his vehicle was shoot a police officer.

A new addition to the investigation is the fact that the FBI is getting involved. LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans Mayor, has called this crime a “terrorist incident” and hence has moved forward with getting the White House and the FBI involved. This makes things complicated for the Sugar Bowl.

Sugar Bowl is on high alert

“We are awaiting an official word on whether or not the Sugar Bowl is going to be played,” Pete Thamel pointed out. As of now Marc H. Morial, former member of the Louisiana State Senate, has issued a call to make all the playoff games as national security events.

Not only that, Morial has also called for stronger security. Still, the Sugar Bowl will not be happening today. Despite Morial giving a “yes” to the notion and also calling for security to be at an all-time high. The District Attorney of New Orleans has informed that there will be a 24-hour delay as the FBI continues their investigation.

Regardless of what happens, our prayers go out to, unfortunately, families who lost someone on the New Year.