Joy Turns To Horror: Multiple Dead As Car Runs Through Christmas Parade

By Staff, Agencies

At least five people have been killed and 40 others wounded after a sports utility vehicle sped through a Christmas holiday parade in the US state of Wisconsin, authorities said.

The incident took place at around 4:40pm in Waukesha, about 20 miles west of the city of Milwaukee, according to reports.

A livestream video of the event showed a red SUV driving through the parade route, with a police vehicle following it into the crowd, before the participants began to scatter.

Waukesha police chief, Dan Thompson, told media persons late on Sunday that a person of interest had been identified and was in police custody and the suspect vehicle had also been recovered.

However, he added that police officers were still probing a “very fluid investigation.” 

At least 11 adults and 12 children were transferred to hospitals after the incident, fire service chief Steve Howard was quoted as saying, refusing to divulge details about the number of casualties or the ages of those reported dead.

Addressing a press conference after the incident, Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly called it a “traumatic situation” for the city of Waukesha.

“Today, we experienced a horrible, senseless tragedy. I’m deeply saddened to know that so many in our community went to a parade but ended up dealing with injury and heartache,” he said.

A video posted online showed a police officer opening fire on the SUV, as it crashed the street barriers, plowing through the parade.

Confirming the gun fire, Thompson said an officer did use his weapon “at the suspect vehicle to try and stop the vehicle.”

“The SUV came by at full speed, then I started to hear people screaming,” said a witness Belen Santamaria, whose husband and their three-year old daughter were planning to join the late afternoon parade.