A triple homicide at a Louisiana homeless camp, allegedly spurred by a stolen bicycle, emphasizes the inherent dangers of these encampments – not just for their inhabitants, but for those in surrounding communities, an expert told Fox News Digital. 

On April 3, 44-year-old Mindy Ann Robert, 33-year-old Marcey Vincent and 53-year-old Warren Fairley were found dead, all shot multiple times, in a makeshift campsite, hidden from view by brush on a vacant lot in Jefferson Parish, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said. 

Crime in these camps is a growing concern across the country, which has seen an 18.1% increase in homelessness in 2024, according to a December report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Federal officials cited a rising number of asylum seekers, lack of affordable housing and natural disasters as reasons for the increase in homelessness.

“These homeless encampments pose a health threat and a safety threat to the general public,” Mark Powell, a former reserve police officer in San Diego who oversaw the city’s Monarch School for Homeless Youth while on the city’s school board, told Fox News Digital. “It’s the duty, it’s the obligation of our city leaders, our elected politicians, to do everything they can within the law to eradicate these camps and provide the people living in the camps with the dignity they deserve through some type of shelter program.”

LOS ANGELES OFFICIALS STILL ON ‘PROGRESSIVE WARPATH’ DESPITE OVERWHELMING VOTER REBUKE OF LEFTIST POLICIES

In the Louisiana case, Noel Marine, who was known to visit the victims at the campsite, was arrested and faces three counts of first-degree murder and obstruction of justice in their deaths. He is currently being held on $100,000 bail, according to court records.

Investigators believe Vincent and Robert were homeless and lived at the campsite, while Fairley lived in a home nearby. Robert’s family assumed that she was living in the area because they recently saw her panhandling at a nearby street corner, NOLA.com reported.

“Periodically, other people would stay [at the campsite] and use narcotics,” Det. Ryan Vaught testified during a Nov. 19 hearing in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court. 

A man who was dating one of the female victims allegedly dialed 911 around 9:40 a.m. when he found the three bodies.

People living in a homeless encampment pick up belongings after Louisiana State Police gave instructions for them to move to a different pre-designated location as they perform a sweep in advance of a Taylor Swift concert in New Orleans on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Marine, 55, became the prime suspect after his fingerprint was also found on a metal folding chair at the site. His fingerprints were in the national Combined DNA Index System due to previous convictions, including four counts of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and other drug charges.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in April 2005, court records show. At the time of the shooting, he was wanted for missing court in a misdemeanor theft case after allegedly stealing from a Walmart in February of this year, according to court records.

Marine allegedly claimed that he was staying at a friend’s house in Metairie at the time of the shooting, but his alibi was torn open after the friend told detectives that Marine was not there. 

MAYOR ADAMS CALLS FOR THE ‘INVOLUNTARY REMOVAL’ OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ‘A DANGER TO OTHERS’ ON THE STREETS

Mindy Ann Robert, 44, was one of the victims of the triple homicide. (Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office)

Although a gunshot was heard in the area around 1 or 2 a.m., according to Vaught, no one saw the killings take place. However, Marine’s friend gave a statement to police after he allegedly confessed to the killings, Vaught testified. 

After he was brought in for a second round of questioning, Marine claimed that another man shot the three victims. He said that he was talking to the man who confronted him at the encampment after Marine stole his bicycle. The other man brandished a gun, and Marine walked into the campsite to retrieve the stolen property, according to Marine, who said he then heard gunfire. 

However, police have not named the man Marine accused, and no one else has been arrested in the homicides. 

WASHINGTON STATE DEMOCRAT PUSHES TO GIVE HOMELESS SPECIAL CIVIL RIGHTS

Marcey Vincent, 33, was shot on April 3 at the Old Jefferson homeless encampment where she lived. (Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office)

Powell said that the incident is the latest example of why the government has an obligation to regulate homeless encampments. 

“In this instance, three people were murdered. That’s not to say somebody jogging through the park or jogging near the homeless encampment could also become a victim just as easily as this,” Powell told Fox News Digital. 

“It’s the duty of the city. If they’re going to allow homeless camps like this, it’s their duty to make sure that they’re cleaned, that they’re regulated, that there’s some type of law enforcement presence that frequents that homeless camp on a regular basis,” Powell said. 

Warren Fairley, 53, worked at a nearby restaurant as a cook, his family told The Times-Picayune. He regularly visited the homeless encampment before he was shot there on April 3, police said. (Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office)

“Not once a month or when they get a call, but they have to have some type of security in there,” he continued. “[Otherwise] you’re going to end up with more of these incidences where there are rapes, murders, there’s assault, there are batteries, there’s a theft, there’s rampant drug dealing – this is what you’ll find in these homeless encampments.”

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“Many people don’t even want to jog through the park because they know there’s a homeless encampment in there, and they’re scared – the people who are committing the crimes are the ones who are controlling the property,” Powell said. “They’re not paying taxes, they’re not doing anything yet. [But] the people who do pay the taxes who do not commit crimes, they’re the ones who are impacted.” 

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

A 42-year-old Texas native swore allegiance to the ISIS terror group and plowed a pickup trip into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street early Wednesday, killing at least 14 and injuring more than 30 others. 

The FBI identified the killer as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a twice-divorced Army veteran who, despite a lucrative job at a large consulting firm, had a history of financial struggles and missed child support payments, records show.

Much of the information came from FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia and ATF Special Agent Joshua Jackson, as part of a joint investigation into the attack.

“Let me be clear about this point,” Raia told reporters Thursday. “This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act.”

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

Anyone with information on the attack or Jabbar, or who was on Bourbon Street for New Year’s, is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips, including photos and videos, can also be submitted online.

Here is a timeline of events:

Egypt trip – 2023

Jabbar traveled to Cairo, Egypt, from June 22 to July 3, 2023, then returned to the U.S. In a separate trip on July 10, 2023, he traveled to Ontario, Canada, and returned to the U.S. a few days later, the FBI said during a press conference. 

It was unclear whether the visit was connected to the attack, but FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia said the agency is investigating whether Jabbar had any associates in the U.S. or overseas.

“All investigative details and evidence that we have now still support that Jabbar acted alone here in New Orleans,” said Raia. “We have not seen any indications of an accomplice in the United States, but we are still looking into potential associates in the U.S. and outside of our borders.”

The FBI provided a timeline of the New Orleans attack on New Year’s Day.

Scouting the scene – 2024

In October and November, Jabbar visited New Orleans at least twice, using Meta eyeglasses to take video of sections of Bourbon Street.

Monday, Dec. 30, 2024

Jabbar picks up a Ford F-150 EV rental in Houston, according to authorities.

He used the Turo app to obtain the vehicle, the same app authorities say was used in a separate EV explosion in Las Vegas, Nevada, where a Tesla Cybertruck exploded at the front door of the Trump Hotel.

Raia said the FBI had found “no definitive link” between the two attacks but noted it was “very early” in the investigation. Both Jabbar and the man involved in that explosion, Matthew Livelsberger, served in the Army and were deployed to Afghanistan in 2009.

Both had also been stationed at Fort Liberty, however, investigators said there was no known overlap in their assignments at the North Carolina base, which currently has more than 50,000 servicemen and women stationed there. It was also not immediately clear they had been deployed in the same region of Afghanistan.

SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AS FBI INVESTIGATES ACT OF TERRORISM AFTER BOURBON STREET ATTACK

New Orleans police and federal agents investigate a suspected terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year’s Day on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.  (Chris Granger/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

Jabbar explains he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the, quote, ‘war between the believers and the disbelievers.’

— Christopher Raia, FBI

Tuesday, Dec. 31

Jabbar bought two coolers that he later used to conceal IEDs on Bourbon Street and drove from Houston to New Orleans – about 350 miles.

During the journey, he posted five videos about the attack and his motive to Facebook, Raia said.

In the first video, posted at 1:29 a.m., Jabbar revealed he changed his plans in order to try and attract as much attention as possible to the crime.

BOMBMAKING MATERIALS FOUND AT NEW ORLEANS AIRBNB POTENTIALLY TIED TO BOURBON STREET TERRORIST: REPORT

Investigators block off Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2024. Multiple people are dead and dozens are injured after a man drove into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Wednesday. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)

“Jabbar explains he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the, quote, ‘war between the believers and the disbelievers,’” Raia said.

Jabbar’s final video was posted at 3:02 a.m.

“Additionally, he stated he had joined ISIS before this summer,” Raia said. “He also provided a will and testament.”

Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025

At some point before the attack, within “roughly a couple hours,” Jabbar planted at least two IEDs in the area, according to Raia. They failed to detonate due to his makeshift detonators, according to ATF Special Agent Joshua Jackson, head of the New Orleans Field Division.

Then at 3:17 a.m., Jabbar sped around a police car at the end of Bourbon Street and accelerated toward throngs of pedestrians, New Orleans police said. 

He was wearing Meta glasses once again, but does not appear to have livestreamed the attack, which killed at least 14 people, and Jabbar died in a shootout with police after crashing the truck.

INVESTIGATION CONTINUES, AS FBI SAYS NO OTHER SUSPECTS INVOLVED

More than 30 other people were injured.

Investigators search the rental home used by Shamsud-Din Jabbar in New Orleans, Louisiana on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2024. Multiple people are dead and dozens are injured after Jabbar rammed his car into crowds of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street on Wednesday. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

Police recovered an Islamic State group flag in Jabbar’s truck, at least three cellphones and other devices. He had planted two IEDs concealed in coolers along Bourbon Street, and authorities were able to disarm them safely.

The FBI immediately took a lead role in the investigation, city police said.

Later in the day, the FBI identified Jabbar as the suspect and released a photo. Other photos from the scene appear to show the ISIS flag mounted to the truck’s trailer hitch.

Federal investigators were looking to speak with anyone who was in the area before, during and after the attack.

“We want to talk to anyone who was in the French Quarter on New Year’s Eve or early on New Year’s Day,” Raia said. “That includes people spotted near one of the two IEDs on Bourbon Street. The IED was inside a cooler and maybe people stopped and looked at the cooler and then continued on their way.”

Investigators continue to block off Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2024. Multiple people are dead and dozens are injured after a man drove into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Wednesday. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)

He said they are not considered suspects “in any way.”

An Airbnb that may be linked to the attacker burst out in flames around 5:30 a.m., according to New Orleans’ FOX 8. Investigators said they later found bombmaking materials inside. Raia acknowledged that the FBI was searching a house with a Mandeville address for evidence in connection with the case. 

“Our working theory now is that the fire started after Jabar was already deceased,” ATF Special Agent Joshua Jackson later told reporters.

He said investigators were still looking into the cause.

Police recovered a “transmitter,” two guns and shell casings from the scene where he opened fire on officers and died when they returned fire. The transmitter was part of his failed plan to detonate the cooler bombs.

OFFICIALS POSTPONE SUGAR BOWL IN  THE WAKE OF APPARENT TERROR ATTACK ON BOURBON STREET

Thursday, Jan. 2

Authorities continued to release additional details about the attacker and search homes in both Houston and New Orleans.

On a call with congressional lawmakers, the FBI revealed it had no intelligence on Jabbar prior to the attack.

“The FBI on the call said that they had no knowledge of Jabbar – he was not on their radar,” Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee who was on the call, told Fox News. “They had no intel about him. He wasn’t someone they were watching. And I think that is incredibly scary because we’ve always heard about the sleeper cells that exist in our country.”

Aerial image of New Orleans attack suspect’s home in Houston, Texas. (KRIV)

Prior to the attack, Jabbar served in the U.S. Army. He was a human resource specialist and IT specialist from March 2007 until 2015. He then continued as an IT specialist in the Army Reserve until July 2020. 

More recently, he worked for Deloitte, a major international accounting firm.

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Liz Friden, Brooke Curto, Jennifer Griffin, Stephen Sorace, Aishah Hasnie, Chad Pergram and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Virginia man has been arrested and charged after authorities caught him with homemade explosives in a stolen vehicle on New Year’s Day.

Jordan Alexander Sweetman, 19, of Arlington, is charged with obstruction of justice, possession of burglary tools, wearing a mask to conceal identity, driving without a license, and manufacturing and possessing explosive materials.

Warren County officials responded to a 911 call on Jan. 1 reporting a man wearing a ski mask throwing items out of a suspicious dark Honda with no license plates, according to a press release from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies later located a car matching the description of the 911 caller at a 7-Eleven in Linden, about 70 miles outside Washington, D.C., where they detained Sweetman, who tried to flee the scene on foot.

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“Preliminary investigation revealed that Sweetman did not own the vehicle, lacked a valid driver’s license, and exhibited signs of mental health issues,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release.

Authorities transported Sweetman to a hospital for a medical evaluation before he appeared before the magistrate last week to face his initial charges, which did not include manufacturing and possessing explosive materials at the time.

FBI FOUND 150 BOMBS AT VIRGINIA HOME IN DECEMBER, PROSECUTORS SAY

On Jan. 2, officials conducted a search warrant of the stolen vehicle and found several items resembling homemade explosives. The sheriff’s office then called in additional resources, including the local fire department, the bomb squad and Washington Field Office for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Bomb technicians safely removed the explosive devices from the vehicle and conducted a controlled detonation, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies located a vehicle matching the description of the 911 caller at a 7-Eleven in Linden, Virginia, about 70 miles outside Washington, D.C., where they detained Jordan Sweetman, who tried to flee the scene on foot. (Google Maps)

Sweetman is being held without bond at RSW Regional Jail in Warren County.

The 19-year-old’s LinkedIn page states that he worked at Joint Base Andrews Civil Air Patrol Composite Squadron, but CAP told Fox News Digital that Sweetman was not a CAP employee, and there is no active CAP volunteer member by his name.

1 DEAD AFTER CYBERTRUCK EXPLODES OUTSIDE LAS VEGAS TRUMP HOTEL

Two other unrelated incidents involving explosive devices occurred on New Year’s Day. In the early morning hours of Jan. 1, Shamsud-Din Jabbar rammed a truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 people. Prior to the attack, Jabbar planted explosive devices in coolers in two locations in the French Quarter, but police killed the attacker in a shootout before he could detonate them.

Authorities patrol Bourbon Street as it is reopened in New Orleans on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2024. Many people are dead and dozens are injured after a man rammed his car into crowds of New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street on Wednesday. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

Also on Jan. 1, Matthew Livelsberger exploded a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year’s Day that Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said “appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who is struggling with PTSD and other issues.”

Officials are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact 540-635-7100 or email cpowell@warrencountysheriff.org.