Divorce records from Texas indicate Shamsud Din Jabbar was once stationed at what is now known as Fort Liberty.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More details about the man suspected of intentionally plowing a pickup truck into crowds along Bourbon Street in New Orleans are coming to light, including about his previous service in the U.S. Army.
The suspect has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who was born in the U.S. and was from Texas. Officials said he killed 15 people and injured dozens more before New Orleans police officers shot and killed him as he shot at them. Jabbar, who was also confirmed to be an Army veteran, was reportedly wearing full military gear as well, and had an ISIS flag affixed to the hitch of his pickup truck.
So far, details about the motive for the attack are unclear, and it is unclear whether he acted alone. Officials shared the details about his veteran status and citizenship during a press conference at 1 p.m. Central time Wednesday.
WCNC Charlotte started looking into whether Jabbar’s time in the army brought him to the Carolinas. We discovered divorce filings in Texas from 2012 that confirm he was stationed at Fort Liberty in North Carolina at the time when it was still named Fort Bragg. The proceedings were filed in Harris County, which is on the Gulf Coast of Texas and home to the city of Houston.
The divorce filings listed a home address for Jabbar in 2012 as being in Fayetteville. Fort Liberty is located just northwest of the city.
A spokesperson for the Army later confirmed Jabbar’s service to WCNC Charlotte’s partner station WXIA in Atlanta, saying he was on active duty from March 2007 until January 2015. He served as a human resource specialist and information technology (IT) specialist. During that time, he deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 until January 2010.
The Army spokesperson also said Jabbar served in the Army Reserve from January 2015 until July 2020 as an IT specialist. At the end of his time, he held the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Our content partners in Texas have shared more details about Jabbar as well. KHOU in Houston reports federal agents and county deputies are at a home tied to him in north Harris County. KBMT, meanwhile, confirmed Jabbar graduated from a magnet high school school in the town of Beaumont, located about 85 miles northeast of Houston.
