“Tragic Choice: Why an 18-Year-Old Ignored Her Mother’s Warning Before the New Orleans Catastrophe”
While the 42-year-old was killed by police gunfire, the aftermath he left was devastating.
Zion, who was able to duck into a brick doorway and escape impact, described the brutal scene he witnessed.
“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering,” he said. “People crying on the floor, like brain matter all over the ground. It was just insane, like the closest thing to a war zone that I’ve ever seen.”
The attack was “very intentional,” as described by police
Image credits: Melissa Dedeaux
After the attack, he first saw Nikyra on her back with her leg twisted above her head and tried to make his way to her before authorities ordered him back.
Zion desperately made calls to local hospitals after he was forced to leave, hoping she had been taken in and was only wounded, but wasn’t able to get any information.
His worst fears were confirmed when he checked her location tracker to see that it was still on Bourbon Street.
“If I was a little bit quicker, I could’ve stopped it,” Zion said. “I haven’t had the time to cry. It’s just so crazy.”
Image credits: Melissa Dedeaux
But a moment that will stay with him forever was when he made the heartbreaking call to Nikyra’s mother, informing her that her daughter was dead, he told NOLA.
He said to Melissa that he’d last seen the 18-year-old laying on the ground with her eyes closed.
“Did they cover her up with a sheet, Zion?” the 40-year-old asked.
“Yeah,” was his reply. “What does that mean?”
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