In an early morning update on Monday, the Waukesha Police Department confirmed five people were killed and over 40 were injured after an SUV sped onto a parade route and ran into people.
—
An SUV drove through into a Wisconsin Christmas parade at high speed on Sunday night, injuring dozens of people. Reports have also circulated that someone inside the SUV had fired shots and that police returned fire.
One video of the incident from the Waukesha Christmas Parade showed a red SUV traveling down the parade route at high speeds with police vehicles in pursuit moments later.
The exact number of injuries in the incident was initially unclear, however during a short press conference at around 6:30 p.m. CST, Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said more than 20 people were injured in the incident, which took place at around 4:39 p.m. on Sunday night. Thompson said the scene of the attack is now safe and that police have located the suspect vehicle and have a person of interest in custody.
In a subsequent press conference, Thompson once again confirmed that more than 20 people were injured and there were fatalities. There were children among those who were struck by the suspect’s vehicle. Thompson said he would not provide information about the fatalities until after next-of-kin notifications for the deceased.
Thompson also confirmed that a police officer did discharge his weapon at the suspect’s vehicle.
Thompson said it is unclear at this time whether the attack was related to terrorism.
Yeshiva World News reporter Moshe Schwartz tweeted a video of what sounds like gunshots being fired at the vehicle. “#BREAKING: Reported video shows police firing upon a car that allegedly ran through the middle of a downtown #Waukesha, Wisconsin holiday parade.”
The New York Post reported witnesses saw shots being fired from the SUV.
A Twitter user tweeted another video of the SUV speeding down the parade route. “Per @Courtney_SiskTV, an SUV plowed through the parade, striking several members of the ‘Dancing Grannies’ group, who were struck and are not moving.”
CBS 58 reporter Kristen Barbaresi tweeted, “I just watched video sent in by a viewer. Shows a red SUV plowing through a marching band during the holiday parade. The SUV does not slow & appears to try to hit as many as possible. #Waukesha #waukeshaparade.”
Following the incident, the Waukesha Police Department advised people to stay out of the city’s downtown area. The police department also announced the Metro Transit Center by Bank St. as the staging area for family reunification efforts after the incident.
