Ex-FBI official lays out 'split-second decisions' police had to make during Bourbon Street massacre

01 January

Just a few hours after a man plowed his pickup truck into a crowd on New Orleans' Bourbon Street on New Years Day killing ten people, reports confirmed that the suspect — who died after a firefight with police — intentionally carried out the attack.

At a Wednesday morning press conference, it was confirmed that the FBI is taking over the investigation into the mass casualty event.

During an interview with MSNBC on the matter, former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi offered his take on the tragic incident.

The network's Ana Cabrera asked the former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, "Frank, are you surprised that a car was able to go some eight to ten blocks down Bourbon street on a night like this?"

He replied, "I'm not surprised that we have had this horrible event. What does kind of cause me to wonder is the length to which the car or truck was able to travel. How many people died, or were injured, along that lengthy course. Now, I realize the speed might have been extremely fast, but police officers have to make a split-second decision here."

Figliuzzi continued, "And once they realize, this is not an accident — this is deliberate — it's often too late. And then the suspect comes out of the car and engages the officers. So, people might be thinking, 'Why weren't police shooting at this car?' Well, it's crowded. It's elbow-to-elbow crowded near Bourbon Street and the French Quarter, so split-second decisions, have I acquired my target? What's behind my target? Is it worth shooting upwards at this car or not? It's a panic situation. And, I hate to say this, but it's almost a positive that this ended with the suspect exiting his vehicle, reportedly, or this could have kept going, and they could have been chasing this truck all over the city. It's contained. It's a tragedy."

Watch the video below or at this link.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

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