A holiday parade in Waukesha, Wis., turned to horror after a driver in a red SUV tore through the crowd Sunday evening. The city stated that five people have been confirmed dead and more than 40 people were injured after the SUV collided with parade marchers.
Children were among those struck by the car, according to Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson. In all, 11 adults and 12 pediatric patients were transported to six hospitals in the area, Fire Chief Steven Howard said.
Children’s Wisconsin, a health care system operating two hospitals in the state, said it took in 15 patients from the incident as of 8 p.m., “with no reported fatalities at our hospital at that time.”
Authorities gave no further specifics about the people who were killed or injured, as they work to notify family members of the victims.
According to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, one of its Catholic priests, multiple parishioners and Waukesha Catholic school children were among those injured.
The 58th annual Waukesha Christmas Parade was underway when the vehicle drove through barricades and sped through the parade route at around 4:39 p.m.
Videos of the collision shared in the hours after the tragedy and brief statements issued by groups participating in the parade gave an idea of who some of the victims were.
Police Chief Thompson said the suspected vehicle has been recovered and there was a “person of interest” in custody, but did not specify if that was the driver. He said it was not known if there was any “nexus to terrorism.”
The FBI is assisting in the investigation, the agency’s Milwaukee division said.
There are no other threats and the scene is safe, the police chief said.
Videos across social media show a red SUV blowing through low-level barricades and speeding away. A law enforcement officer can be seen in the video and appears to open fire at the vehicle.
