Man Accused of Killing 5 at Wisconsin Parade Had Lengthy Police Record

WAUKESHA, Wis. — He had been arrested clip and again since helium was a teenager, accused of artillery and home maltreatment and resisting the police. Earlier this month, prosecutors successful Milwaukee said, helium intentionally ran implicit a pistillate helium knew with a maroon Ford Escape.

But Darrell E. Brooks, 39, was rapidly freed from jailhouse connected enslaved aft prosecutors requested what they present accidental was an inappropriately debased bail. By Sunday evening, arsenic a Christmas parade was making its mode done downtown Waukesha, Wis., the constabulary were coming for Mr. Brooks again aft receiving a study of a home quality involving a knife.

But earlier Waukesha officers ever reached the tract of that dispute, a maroon Ford Escape toppled barriers on the parade route. The constabulary said Mr. Brooks was the driver, and that helium sped toward the marching bands and the smiling families and the troupe of “Dancing Grannies” strolling down Main Street, charging connected adjacent arsenic helium mowed down children and octogenarians. One constabulary serviceman fired his weapon astatine Mr. Brooks but rapidly stopped, Chief Daniel Thompson said, fearful of hitting idiosyncratic successful the crowd.

Five adults died successful the conveyance onslaught and astatine slightest 48 people, including children, were injured, immoderate critically. Within minutes, what the politician described arsenic “a Norman Rockwell benignant of Christmas parade” successful suburban Milwaukee had go a wide casualty incident, with firefighters who were watching the parade with their families abruptly tending to the wounded connected the street.

“That parade became a nightmare,” Mayor Shawn Reilly said Monday arsenic investigators continued to comb done a downtown that parade-goers had fled successful specified a hurry that they near coolers, strollers and dozens of tract chairs behind. “Last night, lives were mislaid during the mediate of what should person been a celebration.”

Chief Thompson, of the Waukesha police, said determination had been nary pursuit by officers earlier Mr. Brooks steered onto the parade way and nary denotation that the onslaught was motivated by terrorism. While the main said that Mr. Brooks intentionally struck radical with the vehicle, helium was not capable to accidental whether helium drove down the parade way successful a unreserved to flight the earlier confrontation oregon successful a acceptable of fury.

Mr. Brooks was expected to look successful tribunal connected Tuesday day aft constabulary referred 5 counts of first-degree intentional homicide to prosecutors. It was not wide whether helium had a lawyer.

Prosecutors successful Milwaukee County said they had erred this period successful recommending a $1,000 currency bail successful the lawsuit successful which Mr. Brooks was accused, among different things, of moving implicit the pistillate with his car successful the parking batch of a state station, aft which she was hospitalized.

“The state’s bail proposal successful this lawsuit was inappropriately debased successful airy of the quality of the caller charges and the pending charges against Mr. Brooks,” the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office said successful an unsigned statement, which added that an probe was underway into however that determination was made. It said the bail magnitude was not “consistent with the hazard appraisal of the suspect anterior to mounting of bail.”

John T. Chisholm, the territory lawyer successful Milwaukee, did not instantly respond to an interrogation request. Mr. Chisholm, a Democrat, is simply a longtime authoritative and 1 of the aboriginal proponents of utilizing existent lawsuit information to code radical disparities in prosecution.

In Waukesha, a usually quiescent suburb with astir 72,000 residents, radical were inactive coming to presumption with the carnage. Public schools were closed, City Hall opened lone for a quality league and constabulary cars had cordoned disconnected the parade way during the greeting unreserved hour.

Steve Howard, main of the Waukesha Fire Department, said each on-duty subordinate of his bureau responded to the country connected Sunday, on with respective off-duty members who had been lining the streets to watch.

“I’d liken it to a warfare zone,” Chief Howard said, his dependable choked with emotion arsenic helium recounted the chaotic scene.

Chief Thompson, of the Police Department, said determination was nary denotation that Mr. Brooks knew anyone attending the parade. He said Mr. Brooks had acted unsocial and that helium was arrested adjacent the parade route.

Mr. Brooks had been successful and retired of the Wisconsin transgression justness strategy passim his big life, racking up arrests successful the Milwaukee country for resisting oregon obstructing an officer, bail jumping, recklessly endangering safety, disorderly behaviour and battery, among different charges.

In rap tracks helium posted to a SoundCloud profile, helium described himself arsenic increasing up successful a unsafe Milwaukee vicinity and having occupation with the ineligible system. In 1 video helium posted online, helium appeared to rap alongside a maroon Ford Escape.

The incidental successful the state presumption parking batch occurred connected Nov. 2. The pistillate injured by the conveyance told the constabulary that Mr. Brooks had punched her successful the look successful a edifice room, past followed her successful his S.U.V. into the parking lot, wherever helium deed her with the car.

“Officers observed tyre tracks connected her near pants leg,” wrote 1 of the officers, according to a transgression ailment charging him with recklessly endangering the woman, which carries a imaginable condemnation of 10 years successful prison.

The pistillate was treated for injuries that included facial cuts and bruises. The constabulary observed “swelling connected her articulator and dried humor connected her face.”

In galore of his brushes with the law, Mr. Brooks was accused of resisting apprehension oregon attempting to obstruct officers, according to the tribunal records. That signifier held existent earlier this month: When the constabulary tried to apprehension him, helium sprinted into his residence and “closed 4 doors connected officers” earlier they restrained him, according to a transgression complaint.

Marsha Winters, who said she was a person and occasional person to Mr. Brooks, said helium had stayed with her concisely implicit the summertime aft being released from jail. His clip lodging successful the family’s basement lasted lone a time oregon 2 successful August, she said.

“I’m conscionable successful shock,” Ms. Winters said. “I thought I knew him. I conjecture you don’t cognize what radical are susceptible of until they bash thing similar this.”

In Waukesha, residents gathered Monday evening for a vigil astatine a downtown parkland arsenic others came to prime up items they near portion fleeing the destruction. Chris Gresky, 36, came to assertion a wagon, filled with candy and different bagged snacks, that helium near down portion moving distant with his woman and children, past bodies strewn connected the ground.

“We saw the car, and knew it wasn’t rather right,” Mr. Gresky said. “We watched it get up connected the curb and past benignant of spell connected 2 wheels.”

“This morning,” Mr. Gresky said, “my 6-year-old was asking ‘Why? Why did helium bash that?’”

Mitch Smith reported from Waukesha, and Dan Simmons from Milwaukee. Brandon Dupré and Ellen Almer Durston contributed reporting from Waukesha. Reporting was besides contributed by Ben Decker, Shaila Dewan, Giulia Heyward and Shawn Hubler. Kitty Bennett contributed research.