Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared Monday a day of mourning for the victims of the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans, joining Louisiana in a collective expression of grief. The proclamation specifically honors two Alabamians among the fourteen fatalities: Kareem Badawi and Drew Dauphin.
Badawi, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Alabama, was a 2024 graduate of the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge. He had recently pledged to join the Sigma Chi fraternity. Dauphin, a 2023 Auburn University graduate, worked as a supplier process engineer for American Honda Motor Company Inc. He was also a 2016 graduate of Alabama Christian Academy in Montgomery. Governor Ivey ordered that flags in Alabama remain lowered to signify respect and remembrance for these individuals and all those lost in the tragedy. This act of mourning coincides with the lowering of flags to honor former President Jimmy Carter.
The attack also resulted in approximately 30 injuries. Among the injured were a group of friends visiting New Orleans from Mobile. Alexis Scott-Windham, 23, sustained an ankle gunshot wound, while her friend Brandon Whitsett was struck by the perpetrator’s vehicle. Scott-Windham, an Amazon employee, initially reported being denied a leave of absence but later clarified that this was due to an administrative error, and she will receive full pay during her recovery. Whitsett, a 2022 graduate of Vigor High School, remains hospitalized in New Orleans in stable condition. He expressed gratitude for escaping more serious injury on social media.