A 42-year-old US Army veteran rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of people celebrating the New Year on January 1, killing 14 people. The accused, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State (ISIS), was killed in a shootout with police shortly after the attack. Among the victims, was Edward Pettifer, a 31-year-old from Chelsea who shared strong ties with the Royal Family.
“The entire family are devastated at the tragic news of Ed’s death in New Orleans. He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew, and a friend to so many. We will all miss him terribly,” the Pettifer family said in a statement.
What was Edward Pettifer?
- Edward Pettifer was the stepson of Prince William and Prince Harry’s former nanny Tiggy Pettifer.
- In 1993, King Charles employed Tiggy Legge-Bourke, now Pettifer, whose family had longstanding links to the royals.
- Edward’s half-brother Tom is one of William’s godsons and was a page boy at his wedding to Catherine, the Princess of Wales, in 2011.
- King Charles expressed grief over Edward’s death on Saturday. It was “understood the King was deeply saddened, and had been in touch with the family to share personal condolences”, local media reported.
- Prince William and Princess Catherine said they were “shocked and saddened” by the tragic death of Edward. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people who have been tragically impacted by this horrific attack,” a post on the couple’s Kensington Palace social media account read.
New Orleans attack
14 people died and over 30 were injured after Jabbar, a former US Army veteran, drove his pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Wednesday. The Pentagon said Jabbar had served in the army as a human resource specialist and an IT specialist from 2007 to 2015, and then in the Army Reserve until 2020.
The accused also reportedly had a criminal record with two charges for minor offenses – one in 2002 for theft and another in 2005 for driving with an invalid license.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that while Jabbar acted alone, he had a strong support for ISIS.
The deadly attack coincided with a high-profile incident in Las Vegas a few hours later where a Tesla Cybertruck blew up outside the Trump International Hotel. According to the police, the Tesla’s driver – the only fatality – was an off-duty US special forces soldier.
