A man with close ties to the British royal family has been identified as one of the 15 victims killed in the January 1 attack in New Orleans.
Edward Pettifer, the stepson of Prince William and Prince Harry’s former nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke, died from “blunt force injuries” after Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, crashed his truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street, the Metropolitan Police confirmed in a news release .
The 31-year-old, who lived in Chelsea, West London, was visiting Louisiana with a friend, the British newspaper reported. The Times and Sun reported.
Legge-Bourke, 59, married Edward’s father, former Coldstream Guards officer Charles Pettifer, in 1999. She worked as a nanny for William, 41, and Harry, 40, shortly after King Charles and Princess Diana split in 1993 to 1999 .
PEOPLE understands King Charles is distressed by the tragedy and has offered his condolences to the family.
Prince Charles, Prince William and Harry and their former nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke arriving at Zurich Airport in Switzerland in February 1994.
Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty
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Legge-Bourke was close to William and Harry as their nanny and remained close years later. The brothers attended her wedding, and she attended theirs in 2011 and 2018, respectively. She is also godmother to Prince Archie, son of Harry and Meghan Markle.
Prince William shared a statement on his Instagram stories, saying: “Catherine and I are shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer.”
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people tragically affected by this horrific attack.”
The FBI released the death toll from the deadly shooting in New Orleans of 15 people on Wednesday afternoon, January 1st.
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Tiggy Legge-Bourker pictured outside the High Court in London in July 2022.
Aaron Chown/PA Wire
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Edward’s family said in a statement shared by police: “The entire family is devastated by the tragic news of Edward’s death in New Orleans. He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend to many.”
“We will all miss him terribly,” they added. “Our thoughts are with the other families who have lost family members to this terrible attack. We ask that we may mourn the loss of Ed privately as a family. Thanks.”
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Members of the National Guard and police watch as a street is blocked off in New Orleans after the Jan. 1 attack.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty
Authorities confirmed that Jabbar, a US citizen from Texas, was in initial reports driving a Ford pickup truck down Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. local time.
The New Orleans Police Department previously confirmed that Jabbar died in a shootout with police at the scene.
The FBI said they are “working to determine the subject’s potential connection and association with terrorist organizations,” according to a news release.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education