These Are the Victims Who Died at the Waukesha Christmas Parade
The five victims who died during the Waukesha parade tragedy were identified by police on Monday.
The victims were 79-year-old Virginia Sorenson; 71-year-old LeAnna Owen; 52-year-old Tamara Durand; 52-year-old Jane Kulich; and 82-year-old Wilhelm Hospel. The correct spelling of the victims' names was posted on the Waukesha Police Department's Facebook page.
During the press conference, Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson also confirmed the identity of the suspect as 39-year-old Darrell Brooks. According to Thompson, Brooks currently faces five charges of first-degree intentional homicide. Thompson noted that additional charges are pending.
Thompson also explained that prior to driving through the parade, Brooks was involved in a domestic dispute but fled the scene before officers arrived. During the press conference, Thompson also noted that the incident does not appear to be related to terrorism.
According to Thompson, at least 48 others were injured during the incident.
During the press conference, Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly said that the city is a "close community" and said that the Christmas parade, which has been occurring for six decades, "became a scene of a horrific tragedy."
"Last night, many were severely injured, last night, lives were lost in the middle of what should have been a celebration," Reilly said.
Online court records obtained by the Associated Press showed that Brooks was recently arrested on numerous charges last week. He was released from jail this past Friday after posting $1,000 bail.
On Monday, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said in a statement that Brooks' bail was too low.
"The State's bail recommendation in this case was inappropriately low in light of the nature of the recent charges and the pending charges against Mr. Brooks," Chisholm said in a statement. "The bail recommendation in this case is not consistent with the approach of the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office toward matters involving violent crime, nor was it consistent with the risk assessment of the defendant prior to the setting of bail."
The city of Waukesha announced on Twitter that a prayer vigil will be held on Monday night at 5 p.m. local time, to honor those who were affected by the incident.
"A prayer vigil will be held tonight at 5pm at Cutler Park. The Waukesha Public Library will be closing at 4pm so that the public can utilize their parking lot. The Downtown South Street Parking Ramp will also be open for free parking," the city said in a tweet.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers urged residents to be kind and patient as those affected recovery from the incident on Sunday.
Update 11/22/2021 at 3:18 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with comments from officials and more background on the incident.
