Suspect in Wisconsin parade killing was on bail
Man accused of ploughing his SUV into revellers was released after ‘running over mother of his child’
THE man who ploughed into a crowd of people during a parade in Wisconsin, killing five and injuring 48 more, is a career criminal who was released from jail on Friday after running the mother of his child over with his car.
Darrell Brooks Jr, a sex offender with a long list of previous charges spanning three decades, is now facing five counts of murder, police in the town of Waukesha said last night.
The victims, a number of whom were members of a local group called the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, were aged between 52 and 81.
Some 48 other people were taken to hospital, including 18 children aged between three and 16. They suffered injuries ranging from scrapes on their faces to broken bones and serious head injuries, and six were in a critical condition last night.
During an emotional press conference yesterday in which the police chief fought back tears, Shawn Reilly, Waukesha’s mayor, said: “Last night our wonderful Waukesha parade became the scene of a horrific tragedy. Last night that parade became a nightmare. The mayor condemned the “horrible and senseless” act.
Last night, police confirmed that Brooks was fleeing from the scene of a
‘Our wonderful Waukesha parade became the scene of a horrific tragedy. That parade became a nightmare’
domestic dispute which took place just “minutes” earlier. It has been reported that it was a knife fight.
He sped down a closed off parade route on Waukesha’s main street on Sunday afternoon just before 5pm, and veered into members of the public who had gathered for the annual Christmas parade.
Police said he was not being chased, and that one officer on the parade route fired a gunshot at the vehicle but felt it was unsafe to fire any more in such a crowded area.
Brooks was taken into custody near the crime scene. Pictures on social media showed a red Ford Explorer SUV with a crumpled front.
A part-time rapper, Brooks has appeared in a music video waving a gun, standing in front of the same make, model and colour of the car that was involved in the incident.
According to police scanner audio obtained by Heavy, a news platform, Brooks had a Ford car key on him when he was detained by officers and his ID was in the car. An image from Google Street View shows the car parked outside his house.
Dan Thompson, the Waukesha police chief, said: “We are confident he acted alone. There is no evidence that this is a terrorist incident.”
The victims were named as Virginia Sorenson, 79; Leanna Owens, 71; Tamara Durand, 52; James Coolidge, 52; and Wilhem Hospel, 82.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper reported that Brooks is currently facing at least five criminal charges – including for domestic abuse and battery – and had been released from jail on a $1,000 bail two days before the incident.
John Chisholm, Milwaukee County district attorney, said the bail recommendation in Mr Brooks’ open court case was “inappropriately low in light of the nature of recent charges and the pending charges” against him.
Earlier this month, the mother of his child told police that Brooks purposefully ran her “over with his vehicle” while she was walking through a petrol station parking lot he had followed her to after a fight, according to the criminal complaint. The woman was hospitalcle. ised, court records show. Documents seen by The Telegraph also show that he is on the sex offenders register in Nevada. Tier 2 sex offenses are generally non-violent but involve minors and in a video posted on social media but not independently verified, Brooks appears to admit to having sex with a 16-year-old a decade ago.
Brooks is a vocal Black Lives Matter supporter and screenshots from a now deleted Facebook page appear to show his disapproval of the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict – where the teenager was cleared over the killing of two BLM protesters. Five law enforcement officials told NBC that there was no immediate connection to terrorism or the Rittenhouse verdict.
Videos from Waukesha showed a red Ford Explorer SUV hurtling past onlookers and eventually into the back of a marching band and several dance groups, sending people scattering.
“There were pom-poms and shoes and spilled hot chocolate everywhere,” said Corey Montiho, the. mother of a girl whose dance team was hit by the vehicle
“I had to go from one crumpled body to the other to find my daughter,” she told the Journal Sentinel.
Among those struck by the car were small children, elderly women and a priest.
The Waukesha school district cancelled classes on Monday and Tuesday and said extra counsellors would be on hand for students and staff. The parade’s line-up included cheer, dance and band entries associated with district schools.
The parade, held each year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, is sponsored by the city’s Chamber of Commerce. This year’s event, the 59th, had the theme of “comfort and joy”.
Joe Biden, the US President, said last night: “While we don’t have all the facts and details yet, we know five families are facing fresh grief of life without a loved one. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by this terrible incident.”