Fire Chief Steven Howard said 11 adults and 12 children were injured and taken to hospitals by his department
An SUV driver took part in a Christmas march parade Sunday through a police line, hitting more than 20 adults and children in a horrifying scene captured by city livestreams and by audience cellphones.
Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said “some” people were killed, but would not give exact numbers. One person was in custody, but the police gave no indication of motive.
One video shows a woman shouting, “Oh my god!” The bar is killed after a group of girls wearing Santa hats and dancing with white fanfare. Another depicts SUVs driving plows among members of a marching band, their music replaced with eerie screams.
Fire Chief Steven Howard said 11 adults and 12 children were injured and taken to hospitals by his department. It was unknown how many of the injured were taken to hospitals by others.
Police also had the vehicle, Mr Thompson said. The investigation was on.
As the SUV broke through the barricades, a Waukesha police officer fired his gun in an attempt to stop the vehicle, Mr Thompson said. No onlookers were injured, and Mr Thompson said he did not know whether the driver was hit by the officer’s bullets.
A video shows the moment the SUV breaks through the barricades and several gunshots are heard.
The video taken when the pompom dancers collide ends with a group of people looking at one of the girls lying on the ground.
Waukesha School District board member Corey Montiho told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that her daughter’s dance team was hit by an SUV.
“They were pomp and shoes and hot chocolate was spilled everywhere. I had to go from one mutilated body to another to find my daughter,” he said. “My wife and two daughters were almost killed. Please pray for everyone. Please pray.”
Chris Germain, co-owner of the Aspire Dance Center studio, had about 70 girls in the parade, ranging in age from 2 to 18 years old. Mr Germain, who had his 3-year-old daughter in the parade, said he was driving to the top of his entrance when he saw a red SUV that was “blazing right in front of us.” He said a police officer chasing him came on foot. Mr Germain said he jumped out of his SUV and gathered all his girls.
“There were small children lying on the street, police officers and EMTs doing CPR on several members of the parade,” he said.
West Allis alderman Angelito Tenorio, running for Wisconsin state treasurer, said he was watching the parade with his family when he saw an SUV speeding into the area.
“Then we heard a loud bang,” said Mr. Tenorio. “And after that, we heard deaf cries and screams from the crowd, from the people in the parade. And people started crying, running away with tears in their eyes.”
Mr Tenorio said he saw about 10 people on the ground, children and adults, who had been hit by the vehicle.
“It just happened so quickly,” he said. “It was quite frightening.”
Governor Tony Evers said he and his wife, Kathy, were “praying tonight for Waukesha and all the children, families and community members affected by this senseless act.”
Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, who was at the parade but left just before the event, called it “an unspeakable tragedy that affects all of us as we recover from an extremely challenging two years and return to our cherished holiday traditions.” Work to start again.”
The parade is sponsored by the city’s Chamber of Commerce. This year’s edition was the 59th edition of the event that is held each year on the first Sunday of Thanksgiving.
Waukesha is a western suburb of Milwaukee, and about 55 miles north of Kenosha, where Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on November 19 of charges stemming from the August 2020 shooting of three people during unrest in that city .
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