At least 5 dead and 40 injured are the latest toll of the tragic episode that saw an SUV hit at high speed the traditional parade that opens the Christmas holidays in Waukesha, a town of over 60,000 inhabitants about 30 km to the west. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Among the people involved are numerous children. Police said they found the vehicle and arrested “a person of interest”. The cause of the gesture is still unknown.
The prisoner, Darrell Brooks, and a rapper released on $ 1,000 bail two days before the incident, US media reported citing Milwaukee County court documents. Documents show that he was arrested on November 5 for domestic violence, resistance to a public official, dangerous conduct and failure to pay bail. He had pleaded not guilty to any charges. Behind him also a conviction for dangerous conduct and possession of weapons in July 2020, and other precedents dating back to 1999.
The accident occurred in the middle of the afternoon when an SUV crashed into the parade at high speed, accelerating just as it was behind a school band, before escaping, overwhelming the barriers. An officer fired a few shots at the vehicle but did not hit it.
The tragic images of the accident were shot live on social media and bounced on the US networks. Many people have been mowed down, causing panic scenes, including screams, crying and fleeing to homes and shops to get safe. Numerous families with children. The area was evacuated and isolated for a few hours, then the alarm stopped. The fear is that of yet another attack but the local police chief, Dan Thompson, said he did not know if the incident was linked to terrorism. Other hypotheses are not excluded, such as that the driver was fleeing after committing another crime, such as a stabbing that took place in another area of ​​the city.
“As we were returning from the parade we saw an SUV speeding along the parade route. Then we heard a loud roar and deafening screams and cries from the people who had been hit by the vehicle,” city councilor Angelito told the media. Tenorio, one of the witnesses of the episode. “Then we saw people running away or stop crying, there were a lot of people injured on the ground,” he added. “Bodies were flying everywhere,” echoed another witness. “A tragic accident,” commented local police chief Dan Thompson. Meanwhile Mayor Shawn Reilly expressed his solidarity with the injured and their families. Schools will remain closed today. The White House “is closely monitoring the situation in Waukesha”
Schools and some streets will remain closed today to allow for better investigations, Thompson said. The incident occurred at the end of a turbulent week in Wisconsin, where a young American, Kyle Rittenhouse, was acquitted in recent days of having shot two men last year during anti-violence protests that resulted in riots.
