Shortly after 4:30 p.m. local time yesterday, November 21, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, a red SUV plowed into a Christmas parade, killing at least five and injuring more than 40 attendees. As the small town celebrated its first major gathering since the COVID lockdown, a car drove through police barricades and into the marching crowd, striking children and adults. Police Chief Daniel Thompson said that a "person of interest" was in custody and that police have not yet ruled out terrorism as a motive.
Early reports related that shots were fired, but sources suggest this was police officers firing at the assailant. The deceased have not been named, and the number of injured is expected to rise as many people were taken to hospital by family and friends. Waukesha's official Twitter account posted that, “At this time, we can confirm that 5 people are deceased and over 40 are injured. However, these numbers may change as we collect additional information. Many people have self-transported to area hospitals. The Police Department has the person of interest in custody.”
(Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
One witness to the event, Corey Montiho, said, “There were pompoms and shoes and spilled hot chocolate everywhere. I had to go from one crumpled body to the other to find my daughter.”
The Response
Although President Joe Biden has yet to release a statement, the White House commented, saying it "is closely monitoring the situation in Waukesha and our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by this terrible incident … We have reached out to state and local officials to offer any support and assistance as needed."
Officials have so far remained silent on the identity of the driver and the possible motive. However, the BBC relates that according to one law enforcement officer, the "suspect appeared to have been fleeing another scene when he ran into people at the parade."
A Tragic Reminder
While the motive for this tragedy is still unknown, for many, it is a stark reminder of the increasing number of attacks being conducted with vehicles. In Nice, France, in 2016, a terrorist drove a rented truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day. That attack killed 86 people and left hundreds injured. In May 2017, New York saw a terrorist purposely drive onto the Hudson River bike path, killing eight and wounding seven.
Since 2017, there have been dozens of these seemingly indiscriminate attacks, many attributed to terrorism. Whether these deadly events in Waukesha, Wisconsin, will be added to the list remains to be seen.
As the situation develops and more information is released, Liberty Nation will keep you updated.
~ Read more from Mark Angelides.
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