Five Dead After Driver Plows S.U.V. Into Holiday Parade in Wisconsin

WAUKESHA, Wis. — It was expected to beryllium a celebratory nighttime successful Waukesha, Wis. Dance groups and precocious schoolhouse bands and politicians were marching on Main Street successful the Milwaukee suburb’s Christmas parade, which was returning from a pandemic hiatus.

Then, conscionable earlier 4:40 p.m., the operator of a reddish S.U.V. stormed past barricades and barreled done the crowd, striking dozens. At slightest 5 radical were killed and 40 radical were injured, and the numbers could change, metropolis authorities said successful a statement precocious Sunday. Area hospitals reported treating dozens of patients, including galore children. It was unclear what mightiness person motivated the episode.

“Today our assemblage faced fearfulness and calamity successful what should person been a assemblage celebration,” said Mayor Shawn Reilly, who described seeing smiling children and blessed parents erstwhile helium marched on the parade way earlier the incident. “I’m profoundly saddened to cognize that truthful galore successful our assemblage went to a parade but ended up dealing with wounded and heartache.”

Chief Daniel Thompson of the Waukesha Police Department said connected Sunday nighttime that a idiosyncratic of involvement was successful custody and that determination was nary further threat. Eyewitnesses described the operator arsenic male, but that was not confirmed by the police. Chief Thompson said shots were fired by the constabulary astatine the driver.

The calamity spoiled what participants and onlookers described arsenic a joyous nighttime successful Waukesha, a chamber assemblage astir 20 miles westbound of Milwaukee. More than 60 entries, from the Waukesha Fire Department to the Old Car Club to Santa, were scheduled to march done downtown.

This was the 58th Christmas parade for Waukesha, an yearly lawsuit that was canceled past twelvemonth due to the fact that of the pandemic. The taxable of this year’s lawsuit was simply “Comfort and Joy.”

Mikey Randa, 14, said helium was marching successful the parade with his precocious schoolhouse shot squad erstwhile helium saw a young miss deed by the car.

“The car conscionable flew past us, determination was a batch of panic,” helium said, adding that helium initially didn’t grasp what had happened. Mr. Randa said helium past saw 5 oregon six bodies lying connected the ground. “I’m inactive successful a spot of a shock,” helium said.

All Waukesha nationalist schools volition beryllium closed Monday, the constabulary section said successful a connection Sunday night.

Jason Kellner, 49, said that helium had conscionable watched his son, a drum subordinate successful the Waukesha South High School marching band, walk by, erstwhile helium archetypal saw a reddish Ford Escape heading toward the crowd. After passing done an intersection, Mr. Kellner said, the car “started mowing radical down.”

“I’ve ne'er felt a worse feeling; wondering what I’m going to find erstwhile I get to my kid,” Mr. Kellner said of the infinitesimal helium ran toward his son, whom helium recovered lasting unharmed by the broadside of the road.

Mr. Kellner said helium pulled a bloody saxophone disconnected the thoroughfare and saw respective people, seemingly injured, connected the ground.

“Right now, I’m conscionable angry,” Mr. Kellner said. “It seems everyplace we turn, it’s conscionable different convulsive time successful the U.S.”

Tyler Kotlarek, 28, was watching the parade with household members erstwhile they heard what astatine archetypal sounded similar cheering, but past they realized “it was screams,” helium said. “It was the worst happening I’ve ever seen successful my life.”

Mr. Kotlarek said the operator appeared to intentionally steer toward people. That relationship had not been confirmed by the police.

“He was going from broadside to side, targeting people,” Mr. Kotlarek said. “The car bombed through. He was flying done determination going intentionally from near to right.”

The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, which were among the parade entrants, said connected Facebook that members and volunteers had been impacted “and we are waiting for connection connected their conditions.” Officials with the Xtreme Dance team, different radical that marched, asked for thoughts, prayers and “privacy to process the tragic events.” The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee said a priest, arsenic good arsenic parishioners and students astatine a section Catholic school, were among the injured.

Tom Hickey, 25, was walking adjacent a friend’s interval astatine the backmost of the parade erstwhile helium heard honking down him. A antheral wearing a sweatshirt and grey chapeau who was driving the reddish Ford Escape was trying to marque his mode done the crowd, helium said. Mr. Hickey said helium thought the operator was lost.

“When helium made that close turn, that’s erstwhile helium turned truly dangerous,” Mr. Hickey said.

Angelito Tenorio, a campaigner for authorities treasurer, had conscionable finished marching successful the parade and was circling backmost to Main Street erstwhile helium saw the S.U.V. speeding on the route.

“All of a abrupt I heard a large bang,” said Mr. Tenorio, an alderman for adjacent West Allis. “Then I heard deafening cries and screams. It was precise gut-wrenching.”

He described a chaotic country that near him stunned and shaking.

“People were moving away, leaving their belongings behind, sobbing,” helium said. “When the assemblage cleared out, it looked similar determination were radical connected the crushed who mightiness person been struck by the vehicle.”

In a video posted connected the city’s Facebook page, the S.U.V. tin beryllium seen speeding down the parade way and screams tin beryllium heard from those successful the crowd. Then, seconds later, a constabulary serviceman runs by, followed by a fig of constabulary vehicles arsenic a radical of children stops performing.

Peggy Tom, 58, said that aft the car sped past her, she walked down the thoroughfare searching for a friend, whom she aboriginal recovered retired was injured.

There were “piles of instruments,” Ms. Tom said, “and shoes.”

Others walking done the chaotic scene, she added, were shouting the names of mislaid loved ones.

Don Paul Browne, a metropolis alderman, was marching successful the parade with the politician but had already near and did not witnesser what happened. He said the metropolis was celebrating its 125th anniversary.

He described the parade arsenic a family-friendly lawsuit that draws spectators from different counties. He struggled to recognize what happened, helium said, due to the fact that determination were nary governmental undertones oregon contention connected with the parade.

Hours later, the families and set members were gone and residents were being asked to debar downtown. But on the parade route, resting against the entranceway to The Steaming Cup coffeehouse, 3 tract chairs were illuminated by flashing reddish and bluish constabulary lights.

Two of the chairs — 1 pink, the different bluish — were kid sized.