Darrell Brooks appears in court following Wisconsin parade attack
Darrell Brooks was trying to strike “as many people as possible” when raced his car through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday, authorities said in a criminal complaint.
The complaint filed on Tuesday describes Mr Brooks as having “no emotion” when he drove down the parade route, killing six people and wounding at least 47 others. Moments earlier, he was said to have fled from police responding to a call about a domestic dispute between him and another person.
Prosecutors plan to charge the 39-year-old with six counts of first-degree intentional homicide. He is being held on $5m bail.
More than $1.5m has been raised to support victims of the attack and their families. The six people killed are: Tamara Durand, Jane Kulich, Wilhelm Hospel, Leanna Owen, Virginia “Ginny” Sorenson, and Jackson Sparks.
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City officials add extra precautions to Thanksgiving parades
Authorities in cities across the US are taking extra measures to ensure the safety of crowds at the city’s Thanksgiving Day parade in light of the events in Waukesha.
Detroit, Michigan; Waco, Texas; and Knoxville, Tennessee, are among the cities reviewing their safety plans, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Meanwhile, several towns across Wisconsin have cancelled upcoming holiday parades in the wake of Waukesha’s deadly attack.
Megan Sheets24 November 2021 20:25
Thirteen children still hospitalised
Thirteen children injured in Sunday’s attack remained hospitalised as of Tuesday evening, according to Children’s Wisconsin.
Of those, six are in critical condition, three in fair condition and four in good condition.
The hospital treated a total of 18 victims in the attack, four of whom have since been released. One of the children, eight-year-old Jackson Sparks, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday afternoon.
Megan Sheets24 November 2021 19:45
Kathleen N. Walsh: We should have taken Brooks’ history seriously
In the wake of Mr Brooks arrest over Sunday’s Christmas parade attack, a slew of information emerged about his lengthy criminal past.
A registered sex offender, Mr Brooks has a serious of previous charges for domestic violence, including for allegedly trying to run the mother of his child over with his car on 5 November.
The Independent’s Kathleen N. Walsh writes: “To me, that is not surprising. What is surprising — or at least galling — is that we still do not take violence against women seriously when the correlation between domestic abuse and other violent crime seems so clear. That means that ultimately, everybody else is less safe.
“If the allegations against Brooks — that he had already used a vehicle to attempt to seriously injure a woman he’d been formerly in a relationship with — were considered more seriously, then perhaps five families wouldn’t be mourning the deaths of their loved ones today.”
Megan Sheets24 November 2021 19:15
Piles of discarded items wait to be claimed
Dozens of items left behind in the chaos of Waukesha’s Christmas parade are waiting to be claimed.
Piles of chairs, scarves, shoes and other belongings were collected from the scene and are now being held at the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department.
The Independent’s Sheila Flynn visited the collection site on Wednesday:
Megan Sheets24 November 2021 18:46
WATCH: Brooks on doorbell camera moments after attack
Doorbell camera footage shows Mr Brooks outside a home moments after he made his deadly drive through the Christmas parade.
Homeowner Daniel Rider said Mr Brooks arrived on his front porch and said he was waiting for a ride.
“I called an Uber and I’m supposed to be waiting for it over here, but I don’t know when it’s coming,” Mr Brooks allegedly said. “Can you call it for me please? I’m homeless.”
Mr Rider said he invited the man inside, offered him a sandwich and his phone so that he could call his mother.
Minutes later, police arrived to arrest Mr Brooks.
Waukesha suspect Darrell Brooks caught by doorbell camera after parade tragedy
The Independent’s Gino Spocchia reports:
Megan Sheets24 November 2021 18:30
What we know about Brooks
Darrell Edward Brooks Jr, 39, was identified by police as the man who drove his car down the Waukesha Christmas parade route on Sunday, killing six people and wounding dozens more.
Mr Brooks had only been out on bail for two days after being arrested on 5 November on charges of domestic abuse, resisting an officer, second-degree recklessly endangering safety, disorderly conduct and felony bail jumping.
On social media, Mr Brooks promoted his hip-hop career under the name MathBoi Fly.
The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad explains what we know about the suspect so far:
Megan Sheets24 November 2021 18:00
Brooks showed “no emotion” behind the wheel
A police officer quoted in the criminal complaint against Mr Brooks described him as showing “no emotion” when he drove his car onto the parade route.
Officer Butryn, who was directing traffic along the route, said he heard the tires on Mr Brooks’ SUV screech as it abruptly accelerated into the crowd of parade-goers.
“At this point, it was clear to Officer Butryn that this was an intentional act to strike and hurt as many people as possible,” the complaint states.
Megan Sheets24 November 2021 17:30
New details about crash emerge in criminal complaint
New details about the horror crash at Waukesha’s Christmas parade emerged in a criminal complaint filed against Darrell Brooks on Tuesday.
The complaint describes how Mr Brooks fled in his vehicle when officers arrived on a call about a domestic dispute near the parade route.
He then proceeded to ignore officers’ orders to stop and made his way toward the parade.
Once on the route, witnesses said Mr Brooks appeared to be swerving to avoid cars, not people, while traveling at a high speed.
The full complaint is available here.
Megan Sheets24 November 2021 17:00
NFL star JJ Watt to cover funeral costs: report
NFL star and Waukesha native JJ Watt has reportedly offered to cover the cost of funerals for victims of the Christmas parade crash.
The act of kindness was reported by journalist Cory Jennerjohn on Tuesday but has yet to be publicly confirmed by Mr Watt or his foundation.
Mr Watt, a defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals, reacted to the tragedy in a tweet on Sunday:
Megan Sheets24 November 2021 16:30
Fundraisers for victims bring in more than $1.5m
More than two dozen fundraisers set up to support victims of the parade crash and their families have collected more than $1.5m in donations since the attack.
Below are links to some of the fundraisers:
The full list of GoFundMe campaigns surrounding the parade is available here.
Megan Sheets24 November 2021 16:03