Former classmate Kendrick Watson Smith Sr. remembers New Orleans attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar as a bright, well-liked student who rarely caused trouble during his school years.
Jabbar, 42, killed 14 people and wounded dozens when he drove a truck into a crowd celebrating New Year’s Day in New Orleans. The attack, which was inspired by ISIS, ended in a shootout with police that left Jabbar dead.
News of Jabbar’s connection to the terrorist organization stunned people who knew him growing up. Smith told DailyMail.com that Jabbar “wasn’t the kind of guy who looked for trouble.”
Smith, who attended middle and high school in Texas alongside Jabbar and his twin sister, said classmates called him “Sham.” He described him as intelligent, “very mild-mannered” and generally well-liked for his “cool personality.”
‘As far as I can remember, I don’t recall him being a troublemaker or anything like that,’ Smith, 42, said. ‘That just wasn’t in his character. He was bookish and quiet, but he had a group of friends.’
Smith said he was surprised when Jabbar chose a military career, believing his former classmate had seemed destined for college and possibly a career as a lawyer or doctor.
Jabbar served in the Army from March 2007 until July 2020 and deployed to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. He joined the Army Reserve in 2015 and left the service as a staff sergeant in 2020.
According to Task & Purpose, Jabbar received nearly two dozen awards during his military career, including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Former classmate Kendrick Watson Smith Sr. described New Orleans attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar as a smart and well-liked student before Wednesday’s fatal attack
Jabbar served in the Army from March 2007 to July 2020, including a deployment to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. He received nearly two dozen military awards, including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Smith attended Central High School in Beaumont, Texas, with Jabbar and his twin sister. All three graduated with the class of 2001, he told DailyMail.com.
Although Smith was not a close friend of Jabbar’s, he said the two were friendly at school.
‘He was a very likable guy, and people gravitated to him because he had a cool personality. He wasn’t in the popular crowd, but he wasn’t a loner,’ Smith recalled.
‘He was very smart and took all the honors classes, so he was no dummy. He was also very mild-mannered in the way he carried himself.’
Smith said he found it “unbelievable” that Jabbar had become linked to ISIS.
‘It does shock me because I went to school with this guy and walked the halls with him, yet I never saw him become violent. You never know what triggers people or what drives them to do things.’
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Smith also said he had heard Jabbar struggled after leaving the military.
‘He probably saw things while he was in the military,’ Smith said of Jabbar. ‘Sometimes it gets really hard, especially when you’re also dealing with financial problems and debt. It shouldn’t push anyone toward violent extremes, but life can be hard.’
Jabbar, 42, killed 14 people and injured dozens when he drove a truck into New Year’s Day revelers in New Orleans. He was killed in a gunfight with police after the ISIS-inspired attack
Emergency crews respond after a vehicle plowed into a crowd at Canal and Bourbon streets in New Orleans on Wednesday, January 1, 2025
The deadly Bourbon Street assault was among the most serious ISIS-inspired attacks on US soil in years. Victims are seen lying in the street
‘I have friends who joined the military, and sometimes they don’t come back the same way they left. They can view life and death very differently from the way I do.’
Smith could not recall the name of Jabbar’s fraternal twin sister, but said the siblings also had an older brother and were close to their mother.
‘They were a tight-knit family. Every family has problems, but you would never want their sister, brother or mother to have to see something like this involving a loved one.’
He added: ‘My heart also goes out to the victims who lost their lives and to their families. I don’t know why he did this or what he became involved in that led him to do it. Never in a million years would I have thought he was capable of something like this.’
Jabbar joined the Army in March 2007 and served on active duty in human resources and information technology until January 2015. He deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 through January 2010.
He moved to the Army Reserve in 2015 and left the military in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.
Jabbar served on active duty in Army human resources and information technology from March 2007 to January 2015 and deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010. He later joined the Army Reserve and left in 2020 as a staff sergeant
Jabbar appeared to have been a committed soldier, earning 23 military honors during his career, according to Task & Purpose.
His awards included three Army Commendation Medals, presented for heroism or meritorious service; four Army Achievement Medals; two Army Good Conduct Medals; the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal; and the National Defense Service Medal.
He also received the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star; two Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbons; the Army Service Ribbon; the Overseas Service Ribbon; the Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon; a NATO Medal; two Meritorious Unit Commendations; the Parachutist Badge; and the Driver and Mechanic Badge.
Before joining the Army, Jabbar enlisted in the Navy. He entered the service’s delayed-entry program in August 2004 but was discharged a month later without attending boot camp.
