Waukesha Christmas Parade

On November 21, 2021, Darrell E. Brooks killed six and injured sixty-two in the Waukesha Christmas parade attack by driving a sport utility vehicle (SUV) through the annual Christmas procession in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States.

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Six of the murder accusations against Brooks are for first-degree murder, and he faces an additional 70 charges.
It was Brooks’ decision to represent himself in court, and he entered a not guilty plea. On October 3, 2022, his trial formally began.

Brooks, who advocated for the so-called “sovereign citizen” movement during the trial, was removed from the courtroom several times for disrupting proceedings. Brooks was found guilty on all 76 charges on October 26, 2022. He received six terms of life in prison without parole, each to be served in its entirety, plus an additional 763 +14 years. Waukesha Christmas parade

Background

The city of Waukesha, Wisconsin, to the west of Milwaukee, hosts a yearly Christmas parade in its central business district. The COVID-19 epidemic of 2020 caused the cancellation of the parade. In 2021, for the 58th annual parade, the theme was “Comfort and Joy,” and there were over 60 different entries.

Attack

During the attack, the perpetrator used a car that looked like a maroon 2010 Ford Escape.
At 4:39 p.m. (CST) on November 21, 2021, a red 2010 Ford Escape SUV traveled through the Waukesha, Wisconsin, city’s annual Christmas parade while traveling at speeds of up to 64 kilometers per hour (approximately 40 miles per hour).

One officer pounded on the SUV’s hood, pleading with the driver to pull over. Still trying to bring the car to a halt, another police opened fire.

Many people who saw the march online or in person recorded it and shared their footage online after the tragedy. Two witnesses informed the media that at first the driver did not stop, even though they could hear cries for help. The driver, according to an eyewitness, was “cool and composed.” According to the police, the driver aimed for the throng and drove in a “zig-zag style” to strike as many individuals as possible. Waukesha Christmas parade

Victims

Things people attending the parade left behind at the intersection of Broadway and Main St.
A total of five persons were murdered and forty-eight others were injured as a direct result of the incident.

Four ladies and one guy were confirmed to be among the five fatalities. The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies were an all-grandmother dance troupe, and four of the victims were members of the group.

There were 28 patients admitted to hospitals, nine of them were listed as critical. Seventeen children were hurt, and three of them were at Children’s Wisconsin until early December.

After the death of an eight-year-old child at a hospital on November 23, two days after the incident, the reported number of injured had risen to 62. The deceased spanned the ages of eight to eighty-one. Waukesha Christmas parade

Aftermath

After issuing a shelter-in-place order for a portion of Waukesha, the police department later rescinded the directive. On November 22, the Waukesha School District decided to cancel classes and provide extra counseling services to kids.

A citywide day of mourning was observed on November 22 with vigils. Waukesha observed a moment of silence one week after the assaults. The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin has set up a crisis help line for families in need of mental health services.

Mrs. Biden attended a memorial service for the victims on December 15 and met privately with their loved ones. In addition to the approximately $1.8 million donated to the United for Waukesha Community Fund, nearly $900,000 was raised on GoFundMe for victims of the attack.

Wheelchair ramps for the homes of individuals injured in the attack and who may need them have been installed free of charge by local contractors. United for Waukesha Community Fund reported raising over $6.2 million for victims of the attack in March 2022.