United States: a car rushes into a Christmas parade, several dead and injured


An SUV rammed into a crowd gathered for a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States, on Sunday, killing and injuring more than 20, police said. There were “deaths”, police chief Dan Thompson said at a press conference, without specifying the number. Local officials, meanwhile, said 11 adults and 12 children had been taken to hospital.

Authorities were still trying to gather information on the incident, which happened around 4:30 p.m. (2230 GMT) on Sunday in Waukesha, Wisconsin (north), where a Christmas parade is held every year.

“The Waukesha Christmas Parade was happening when a red SUV rolled over the west side barriers and headed onto Main Streeet,” he said. “The car knocked down more than 20 people, some of them were children and there were injuries due to this incident,” he said. “Waukesha Police have located a suspicious vehicle. An investigation is ongoing,” he said, adding that authorities have identified one person as part of the investigation.

Schools closed on Monday

Police fired at the vehicle in an attempt to stop it, authorities also said. Schools will not open on Monday and some roads will remain closed for the duration of the investigation, said Mr. Thompson.

Angelito Tenorio, candidate for the position of State Treasurer and present on the scene, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he saw an SUV type vehicle engage at full speed on the road taken by the parade. “Then I heard a great shock and deafening cries of people hit by the vehicle,” he said.

According to witnesses and footage, the SUV burst into the parade behind a marching band of school musicians. “All I heard was screaming and then people yelling their children’s names,” told CNN a witness, Angela O’Boyle, whose apartment overlooks the main street where the parade took place.

“Our Hearts Are Breaking”

U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident, the White House “is being kept accurately briefed on the situation in Waukesha, and our hearts break for all who have been affected by this terrible incident,” an official said. American presidency. “We have reached out to local and state officials to offer our assistance if needed,” he added.

Several Wisconsin parliamentarians expressed their condolences, including Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin who said that this “horrible violence broke your heart”. The Governor of Wisconsin said he and his wife were “praying for Waukesha tonight and for the children, families and members of this community affected by this meaningless act.”

The incident comes at the end of a turbulent week in Wisconsin where a young American, Kyle Rittenhouse, was acquitted at trial this week after shooting dead two men during riots and anti-violence protests last year. police stations in Kenosha, located about 80 km from Waukesha.



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