#2021InReview: On November 21, the driver of a sport utility vehicle killed six people and injured sixty-two others by hitting participants and observers at the annual Christmas parade in #Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States. The suspect, Darrell Edward Brooks Jr was charged with six counts of 1st degree intentional homicide. #YearInReviewÂ
On November 21, around 4:39Â p.m, a red Ford Escape SUV, driven at about 40 miles per hour, broke through barricades and drove through the annual Christmas parade in Waukesha. One police officer banged on the hood of the SUV in an attempt to get the driver to stop. Another officer then fired his gun in an attempt to stop the vehicle.
The parade was being live-streamed, and other attendees captured the incident on videos that were later posted to social media. Two eyewitnesses told reporters that the driver did not stop initially and all they could hear was people screaming and crying. One witness described the driver as “calm and composed”. Police reported that the driver deliberately targeted the crowd, driving in a “zig-zag pattern” to hit as many people as possible.
On the same day as the Waukesha attack, police recovered a damaged Ford Escape and arrested 39-year-old Darrell Edward Brooks Jr, a man with an extensive criminal record. He had been arrested 21 days prior to the Waukesha attack for hitting his ex-girlfriend with the same vehicle during a domestic dispute.Â
The charges against him for that case include second-degree recklessly endangering safety with domestic abuse assessments, a felony, as well as disorderly conduct with domestic abuse assessments; misdemeanor battery with domestic abuse assessments; and obstructing an officer. He posted $1,000 bail on November 19, two days before the Waukesha attack, and was released. Brooks also has a warrant for a sex crime in Nevada
Brooks had initially been charged with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide. Following the death of a sixth victim, Brooks’s bond was set at $5 million, and he remains in custody, following an initial court appearance. The Waukesha County District Attorney has said more charges are likely to come, and on November 29 he was charged with a sixth count of first degree intentional homicide
