Wisconsin Christmas Parade Suspect Slammed with Homicide Charges as Death Toll Rise to 6
The suspect for the tragic Wisconsin Christmas parade was slammed with at least five counts of homicide charges after he plowed onto the attendees of the said event on Sunday.
Identified as Darrell Brooks, the Wisconsin man was charged with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide, as he was accused of driving a maroon SUV directly through the parade, NBC News reported.
As the death toll of Sunday's tragedy rose to six, prosecutors said that they will consider a sixth homicide charge, CNN reported.
Brooks made his first court appearance to face the charges on Tuesday, and the judge has set his bail to $5 million. If convicted, Brooks could face life imprisonment for all five charges
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Wisconsin Christmas Parade Suspect Involved in a 'Domestic Disturbance' - Police
Brooks' motive has not yet been identified by the authorities, but they revealed on Sunday that the suspect was involved in a domestic disturbance before he drove through the people with his SUV.
Brooks was alleged to have fled the said domestic disturbance in the maroon SUV and then drove to the parade.
Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said that the police were not able to respond to the domestic disturbance report as they were needed to respond to the Christmas parade incident.
Although initial investigation showed that Brooks fled to the initial incident, Thompson assured that no police chase led him to crash with the people in the Christmas parade.
Brooks is not a stranger from prosecution as records showed that he has a history of violations in Wisconsin.
"There's a lot of long history flights, obstruction, bail-jumping-type behavior, your honor. It's remarkable that these are violations all around the state of Wisconsin," Waukesha Court District Attorney Susan Opper.
Brooks was also previously arrested for sexual abuse, cannabis possession, and battery, and domestic abuse.
Before the incident, the suspect was also released from jail less than two weeks ago, after he allegedly run over a woman, who claimed she was the mother of Brooks' child.
6 Deaths Recorded in Wisconsin Christmas Parade
At least six individuals were reported dead after Brooks plowed onto the attendees of the Christmas parade on Sunday. One of the victims was eight-year-old Jackson Sparks, CBS 58 reported.
According to a GoFundMe page for the Jackson Sparks, the eight-year-old underwent brain surgery following the incident and he succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday. Sparks was known to be the youngest victim of the incident.
Aside from Jackson Sparks, five other individuals, with their ages ranging from 52-81, met their demise in the aftermath of the incident. They were identified as Tamara Durand, Jane Kulich, LeAnna Owen, Virginia Sorenson, and Wilhelm Hospel.
The charging documents against Brooks also indicated that a total of 62 people were injured including 18 children aged 3-16.
"Injuries ranged from facial abrasions to broken bones to serious head injury," Dr. Amy Drendel from Children's Wisconsin hospital said.
Waukesha Fire Chief Steve Howard confirmed that 48 people were treated at area hospitals. Furthermore, some of the victims were still treated as of late Monday.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Suspect ID'd in Wisconsin Christmas Parade Incident That Killed 5 - From ABC News