Suspect Who Drove SUV into Christmas Parade Charged with 5 Counts of First-Degree Intentional Homicide

On Tuesday, Darrel Brooks Jr. was charged with
five counts of first-degree intentional homicide
after he drove his red Ford Escape into a crowd
of marchers during an annual Christmas parade in
Waukesha, Wisconsin.

The aftermath of the tragedy injured 62 people
and killed six people, one of which was an 8-year-
old boy who succumbed to injuries, CBN
News reports. On Tuesday, Brooks, 39, cried as
the charges were laid against him during a court
hearing. If convicted, he could spend the rest of
his life in prison. His bail was set at $5 million.
Brooks, an amateur rapper under the name
MathBoiFly, has a lengthy rap sheet with a total of
16 criminal charges, the first dating back to 1999.
As Christian Headlines previously reported, Brooks
was charged with battery, resisting or obstructing
an officer, disorderly conduct, felony bail jumping
and felony second-degree recklessly endangering
safety earlier his month.
Just two days before Sunday’s attack, Brooks was
released from jail on a $1,000 bail. He was
arrested in Milwaukee County in early November
after he reportedly tried to run his ex-girlfriend
over with his car.
Brooks was also convicted in 2006 of having sex
with a 15-year-old girl, whom he had a child with.
He would have been 24 at the time.
According to the New York Post, Brooks’ social
media page had a series of disturbing posts and
memes, which had since been deleted after he
was taken into custody. Screenshots of the posts
included calling for violence against white people
and that Hitler was “right” in killing the Jews.
As reported by CBN News , Waukesha police said
that Brooks fled a domestic dispute on Sunday
ahead of the parade but was not being pursued.
Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper
said that more charges will be coming against
Brooks after the sixth person, a young child,
succumbed to injuries. He will also face charges
for the serval others who were injured during the
incident.
Local residents held a prayer vigil on Monday
night for those who lost their lives on Sunday.
Among the six who died are three members of the
Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, a marching and
dancing group comprised of local grandmothers.
The group has been around for almost 40 years.
“We are hurting. We are angry. We are sad,”
Amanda Medina Roddy with the Waukesha School
District said at the prayer vigil. “We are Waukesha
strong.”