US Christmas parade in Wisconsin turns deadly as car hits crowd, killing 5, wounding 40
- One ‘person of interest’, who may have been fleeing from a crime, is in custody and a vehicle has been recovered
- US media cite law enforcement sources as saying no known connection to terrorism, nor to Friday’s Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, at this stage
A joyous scene in the US of marching bands and children dancing in Santa hats turned deadly in an instant, as an SUV sped through barricades and into a Christmas parade in Wisconsin while spectators watched in horror.
One video showed a woman screaming, “Oh my God!” repeatedly as a group of young dancers was struck on Sunday.
A father talked of going “from one crumpled body to the other” in search of his daughter. Members of a “Dancing Grannies” club were among those hit.
Authorities in the city of Waukesha in Wisconsin said five people were killed and 40 were injured. “However, these numbers may change as we collect additional information,” the Waukesha Police Department said on its Facebook page.
Sandra Peterson, a spokeswoman for the Milwaukee Catholic Church, said that “among the injured are one of our Catholic priests, as well as multiple parishioners and Waukesha Catholic schoolchildren”.
A “person of interest” was in custody, there were no other threats to the community and a vehicle was recovered, said police.