All members of Waltrip HS Band accounted for and safe after NOLA attack, HISD confirms

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (KTRK) -- A group of Houston ISD students, parents, and staff who traveled to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl have all been accounted for and are safe, according to the district.

The announcement comes after a suspect, identified as Shamsud Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Houston, Texas, drove a truck through a crowd of people on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens.

RELATED: New Orleans updates: 15 dead, dozens injured after vehicle plows into crowd in 'terrorist attack'

The Waltrip High School Ram Band shared the following statement in a post on Facebook:

"While we are currently in New Orleans, none of our students, chaperones, or staff were in the vicinity of the crash that occurred.

After attending the awards banquet at our hotel and receiving our Sugar Bowl Sweepstakes Grand Championship, all of our students were in their rooms by 10:30 p.m.

We are praying for all of those involved in the attack."

The band performed in the 2025 Allstate Sugar Bowl Parade and scored first place in the Allstate Sugar Bowl's Field Show Competition.

The band said it is following the safety procedures outlined by the city and the Sugar Bowl staff. The Sugar Bowl was postponed to Thursday night.

HISD said no students were near Bourbon Street at the time of the attack.

Excursions and other student activities scheduled throughout the day have been cancelled. According to a band parents, the students will load buses in the morning and return to school by Thursday afternoon.

"Our hearts are with the victims of this tragic incident and with the New Orleans community this morning," HISD said in a statement released Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, a Houston couple said they were in the French Quarter when the attack happened. They were asleep in the Royal Senesta Hotel when the car used in the attack crashed out near the hotel front doors.

Laverne Thomas said they got back to the hotel around 12:30 a.m. and woke up to evacuation calls around 4 a.m. They evacuated to a common area and were sent back to bed without much information. It wasn't until they woke up Wednesday morning that they learned that a terrorist attack had happened right outside their hotel.

"To think we were in that same area and then five or six hours later, something like this tragically happens. It's unbelievable. I just keep thanking God that we are OK knowing we were that close to a bomb," Thomas said.

It's no surprise that the couple is checking out and moving to a hotel further away. They told ABC13 the large crime scene makes it hard to come and go, and they're pretty spooked by the whole thing.

READ MORE: Truck driven in deadly Bourbon Street attack was rented from Houston, sources confirm

Law enforcement officials said the suspect was "hell-bent" on killing as many people as possible when he drove a rented pickup truck around barricades and plowed his vehicle through a crowd of New Year's revelers at a high rate of speed.

After mowing down numerous people over a three-block stretch on the famed thoroughfare while firing shots into the crowd, the suspect allegedly got out of the truck wielding an assault rifle and opened fire on police officers, law enforcement officials briefed on the incident told ABC News. Officers returned fire, killing the suspect, sources said. At least two police officers were shot and wounded, authorities said.

ABC13 previously reported on the Waltrip High School band's trip to New Orleans to perform at the Sugar Bowl.

Back in September 2024, HISD said "no" to the trip because administrators didn't feel as though New Orleans was safe.

HISD officials eventually changed their minds and allowed the band to travel.

After learning about the situation, Houston Mayor John Whitmire offered an HPD escort for the trip. It's unclear if that ultimately happened.

"I have no comment on the ongoing investigation. The Waltrip High School Students are not in harm's way and are safely returning to Houston," Whitmire told ABC13.

However, Whitmire later posted on social media the following statement:

"Houston stands in solidarity with the people of New Orleans and our prayers are with the victims and their families following this morning's tragic and senseless act of violence. I have been in regular contact with the state and local officials, as well as law enforcement leadership. The FBI, as the lead agency in this federal investigation, has our full confidence and collaboration. The Houston Police Department is closely integrated with the FBI's Houston office and Harris County Sheriff Gonzalez's team. Houston is ready to deploy any resourced need to ensure the safety and security of our communities."

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PREVIOUS REPORT: Waltrip HS band allowed to travel to perform at Sugar Bowl after being denied by district