Suspect in Wisconsin parade attack charged

A man has been charged with five counts of first degree intentional homicide for allegedly driving into a Waukesha, Wis., Christmas parade on Sunday.

Darrell E. Brooks was charged on Tuesday, NBC News reported. Brooks, 39, is accused of being behind the wheel of the maroon SUV that plowed through the crowd at the Waukesha Christmas parade, resulting in six deaths and at least 40 injuries.

Brooks has been charged with first degree intentional homicide in the deaths of all five people initially killed in the incident.

A minor who was injured has since died, bringing the total death toll up to six, according to NBC News. The news outlet reported that prosecutors expect to add an additional first degree intentional homicide count to Brooks’s charges, accordingly.

Waukesha Police Chief Daniel Thompson said on Monday, when Brooks was identified as the suspected driver, that he would be charged with homicide.

Just in: Darrell Brooks, Waukesha Parade suspect, booking photo. Taken early this morning

Brooks will be in court at 4 today, we also expect the criminal complaint at that time. That document might be our first insight in to why. #waukeshaChristmasParade pic.twitter.com/s7nCYmXDXf

— Kristen Barbaresi (@KristenBarbar) November 23, 2021

“We have information that the suspect prior to the incident was involved in a domestic disturbance which was just minutes prior and the suspect left that scene just prior to our arrival to that domestic disturbance,” Thompson said.

Brooks had been released from jail last Friday after being taken into custody for an incident in which he was charged with resisting or obstructing an officer, reckless homicide, disorderly conduct, bail jumping and battery.

Shortly before the incident at the parade, Brooks had been involved in “some kind of disturbance” with another individual, according to Thompson.

“Was there an initial complaint of a knife being involved? Yes,” Thompson said of the preceding incident. “Do we know if there actually was one there? We don’t know, because we didn’t even make it there. We ended up immediately responding to the crisis.”