A car crashed into a crowd at a street parade in Wisconsin, USA. More than 20 people were injured and there were “several deaths,” said the local police on Sunday evening (local time). The investigators did not provide any more specific information about the number of deaths. There were apparently numerous children among the victims: the fire brigade announced that eleven adults and twelve children had been taken to hospitals. The background of what happened was unclear.
The incident occurred in Waukesha, a suburb of the city of Milwaukee. The Waukesha Christmas Parade took place in the small town on Sunday afternoon (local time).
Among other things, it was unclear whether the car was deliberately driven into the crowd. At a press conference on Sunday evening, the police expressly left open whether there could be a terrorist background.
Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said a red SUV broke barriers, drove onto the main street with the parade and rammed more than 20 people, including children. He spoke of a “tragic incident” and at the same time stressed that there was no further threat. A suspicious vehicle was found and a person was in custody. He was not more precise. Thompson emphasized that the investigation was ongoing.
An officer shot at the car to stop it, the police chief said. No passers-by were injured. According to previous knowledge, no shots were fired from the vehicle.
Many families with children had attended the parade. On video clips that were initially not verifiable and spread on social media, chaotic and disturbing scenes could be seen: An off-road vehicle was filmed from various perspectives in various snapshots, which first raced past participants in the parade at high speed, at other points various people in rams and runs over the street and finally breaks through road barriers and rushes away. The video recordings show people screaming and running. In one scene the car barely races past a child dancing in the street.
The governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, expressed his dismay in a tweet and spoke of a “pointless act”.