Five dead, more than 40 injured after SUV slams into Wisconsin holiday parade

November 23, 2021: -A joyous Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, changed into a scene of deadly horror when a red SUV plowed into a crowd on the city’s Main Street on Sunday.

According to officials in suburban Milwaukee, at least five people were killed, and more than 40 others were injured. Those numbers may change as new information comes to light, they added.

An FBI spokesperson informs that the bureau was aware of the event but that local authorities would lead the inquiry.

The vehicle went with the barricades set up for the parade before striking people, Thompson said.

An officer started firing at the SUV in an attempt to stop it, said Thompson, adding that police were no longer searching for the vehicle.

On Sunday, spectators gathered along the street in downtown Waukesha to watch a procession of floats, classic cars, and children dancing. The video from the scene showed spectators both standing and sitting in chairs, witnessing a marching band perform before the incident.

When the vehicle plowed into the crowd, spectators started to scream franticly. In the minutes after it happened, people cleared the area.

Angelito Tenorio, a candidate for Wisconsin state treasurer, said he had just finished the march in the parade with the Waukesha County Democratic Party when the vehicle sped down the route.

″People ran away from the scene, which left their belongings behind, looking for their kids, family friends,” he told MSNBC. “It looked that there were folks on the ground lying that were stuck by the vehicle.”

Scott Greger, a Waukesha resident, said he witnessed the vehicle strike someone, continue, and then hit afloat.

“The red SUV came to barrel down the street, very high rate of speed, and hit a pedestrian,” he said live on MSNBC.”

He said police sirens preceded the SUV’s presence in the area.

Area hospitals reported treating almost 28 people from the parade, including 15 taken to Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee and 13 at Aurora Medical Center in Summit. Aurora said in a statement that three of those patients were in critical condition.

According to Sandra Peterson, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee at least one Catholic priest and multiple parishioners and Waukesha Catholic school children were injured.

Roads in the incident area would remain closed, as would businesses, the city said on Facebook. Classes were canceled for Waukesha public schools on Monday.

“I’m grateful for the first responders and folks who acted quickly to help, and we are in contact with local partners as we await more information,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers wrote on Facebook Sunday evening.