Five dead, over 40 injured after vehicle speeds through Wisconsin parade
A video posted online of the incident showed a red SUV plowing through the parade, appearing to run over more than a dozen people.
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| According to court documents, career criminal 39-year-old Darrell Edward Brooks Jr. has been arrested as a suspect in the incident.photo source: https://dailycroc.com/america/breaking-suspect-in-waukesha-mass-casualty-incident-identified-as-career-criminal-darrell-e-brooks/ |
A speeding SUV plowed through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday, killing five people and injuring more than 40, including a group of young dancers waving pompoms.
Waukesha
Police Chief Dan Thompson said a person of interest* was in custody and a
vehicle had been recovered after the incident in the town, about 20
miles (32 km) west of Milwaukee.
(* Puds note: According to court documents, career criminal 39-year-old Darrell Edward Brooks Jr. has been arrested as a suspect in the incident, see photo above )
"At
this time, we can confirm that 5 people are deceased and over 40 are
injured," the Waukesha Police Department said on its Facebook page.
"However, these numbers may change as we collect additional information.
Many people have self-transported to area hospitals."
It was not known whether the incident was related to terrorism, but
there was no further danger and an earlier shelter-in-place order in
the town of around 72,000 had been lifted, Thompson earlier told
reporters.
A video
posted online showed a red sport utility vehicle plowing at speed
through the parade, appearing to run over more than a dozen people
before crowds ran from sidewalks to offer assistance.
Thompson
said an officer fired shots at the vehicle and no bystanders were
injured. Police did not believe shots had been fired from the vehicle,
he added, contrary to earlier reports. Video on social media appeared to
show police firing on the vehicle as it crashed through street
barriers.
Belen
Santamaria, her husband, and their three-year old daughter were planning
to join the parade with their Catholic Church. But Santamaria, a
39-year old Mexican factory worker, woke up on Sunday with a backache,
so the family watched the procession from the sidewalk instead.
"The SUV came by at full speed," said Santamaria. "Then I started to hear people screaming."
She hid in a restaurant with their daughter while her husband,
39-year old delivery worker Jesus Ochoa, ran ahead to try to help
injured people. He said he heard through other members of their church
that roughly 10 members of the congregation, mostly Latinos and both
adults and children, are injured.
"I was going to be there, walking," Santamaria said. "The SUV would have hit us too."
DANCE GROUPS HIT
A
woman told Milwaukee's Fox6 TV station that the SUV hit a dance team of
girls between 9 and 15 years old. She said the immediate reaction was
silence, followed by screaming, running and checking on those injured,
Fox6 reported. Video on social media showed small groups surrounding
injured girls with white pompoms scattered around.
One
witness said the driver also hit a group of "Dancing Grannies" and at
least one person flipped over the hood of the SUV, according to
Milwaukee's WISN-TV, an ABC affiliate.
"Members
of the group and volunteers were impacted and we are waiting for word
on their conditions," the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies said on their
Facebook page. "Please keep the Grannies, all those injured, and all
those who witnessed this horrible event in your thoughts and prayers."
Another
witness estimated the SUV was going about 40 mph (64 kph) when it hit
the crowd parading down the street, the TV station said.
"As
we were walking back in between the buildings ... we saw an SUV cross
over, just put the pedal to the metal and just zooming full speed along
the parade route. And then we heard a loud bang, and just deafening
cries and screams from people who are struck by the vehicle," Angelito
Tenorio, an alderman in nearby West Allis, told the Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel.
The
local CBS affiliate later showed a picture on Twitter of what appeared
to be the red SUV involved with its hood crumpled and front fender
hanging off, parked in a driveway.
President Joe Biden was briefed by aides about the events, a White House official said.
"The
White House is closely monitoring the situation in Waukesha and our
hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by this terrible
incident. We have reached out to state and local officials to offer any
support and assistance as needed."
Photos
and videos of Waukesha circulating on Twitter showed police cars and
ambulances crowding a street decked out with Christmas lights in the
aftermath of the incident, which occurred around 4:39 p.m. (2239 GMT).
People bundled up against the cold huddled on sidewalks as dusk fell.
The
Children's Wisconsin hospital said on Twitter it had received 15
patients as of 8 p.m., with no reported fatalities at that time.
Schools
would remain closed on Monday for grades 4K-12 and additional
counselors would be available for students who may need support
services, the district superintendent of schools said.
In
2015, four people were killed and 46 injured in Stillwater, Oklahoma
when a woman drove into a crowd watching the homecoming parade for a
football team.
A truck was deliberately driven into a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany in 2016, killing 12 people in an attack linked to Islamic State.
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