Horror in Waukesha, a town of over 60 thousand inhabitants about 30 km west of Milwaukee, in Wisconsin.
During the traditional parade that opens the holiday season, an SUV swooped into the crowd at high speed, mowing down dozens of people. At least five have died (the exact number has not yet been released), more than 40 injured including 12 children.
Police said they found the vehicle and arrested "a person of interest". It would be the 39-year-old Darrell Brooks Jr, as reported by various US media, a rapper who calls himself MathBoi Fly.
The images circulating on Twitter are gruesome: first you see children jumping smiling looking at the colors of the parade, suddenly screaming. A red SUV swoops on the parade, accelerating just as it is behind a school band, before escaping by overwhelming the barriers.
An officer fired a few shots at the vehicle but did not hit it. The area was evacuated and isolated for a few hours, then the alarm ceased.
THE INVESTIGATIONS - The terrorist trail seems to fade: from the first investigations, in fact, no links of the 39-year-old with domestic or international terrorism emerged. Instead, it is possible that the driver driving the SUV was fleeing the scene of another crime.
There seems to be no connection even with the controversial verdict of Kenosha , also in Wisconsin, where Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of killing two anti-racist protesters.
THE TESTIMONIALS - "While we were returning from the parade we saw an SUV speeding along the parade. Then we heard a loud roar and deafening screams and cries", city councilor Angelito Tenorio, one of the witnesses, told the media of the episode. "Then we saw people running away, there were a lot of people injured on the ground," he added.
"A tragic accident," commented local police chief Dan Thompson. Mayor Shawn Reilly expressed his solidarity with the injured and their families. Schools will remain closed today. The White House "is closely monitoring the situation in Waukesha" and expressed solidarity "with all those affected by this terrible incident", offering support and assistance to state and local leaders.
(Unioneonline / D)
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