Late Sunday afternoon, news broke out of Waukesha, Wisconsin, of a red SUV driving down the city’s annual Christmas Parade route and plowing through several pedestrians. When the dust settled on Monday morning, it was revealed that five people were killed and more than 40 were wounded. A motive has not yet been determined or perhaps released, but many are wondering whether the close proximity to the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, just miles away in Kenosha, had anything to do with the parade attack.
The suspect has now been identified according to law enforcement, and police are now trying to construct a motive for the events:
A 39-year-old Milwaukee man with an open court case related to domestic violence has been taken into custody, according to a law enforcement source with firsthand knowledge of the situation. The Associated Press also confirmed the man’s identity Monday morning.
Darrell Brooks Jr., the man suspected of being the driver, has been charged three times in less than two years with recklessly endangering the safety of others, most recently on Nov. 5 as part of a domestic abuse incident for which he was also charged with resisting or obstructing an officer.
Authorities have have not publicly disclosed what they believe was the man’s motivation. One law enforcement source told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the man had been involved in an earlier incident on Sunday, possibly also related to domestic abuse, just before the parade carnage occurred.
A press conference is planned for Monday afternoon where law enforcement will provide an update on the case and whether any new information has been learned about the suspect’s possible motive.
Here’s a live feed of the news conference scheduled for later today:
It is entirely possible that Brooks, a man with a violent past of felonies, simply joined the parade route inadvertently, perhaps fleeing from an incident that occurred just prior. It would seem odd, however, given the highly public nature of the parade that Brooks would have expected to escape unnoticed, especially after hitting and killing several parade participants.
Other media outlets have been digging in Brooks’ past and finding some connections to Black Lives Matter protests and racist rhetoric littering his social media accounts:
The #Waukesha killer Darrell Brooks Jr.: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know.#BLM supporter and angry about Kenosha. Yet they aren't calling it racially motivated? #Racism
https://t.co/3R01IAEqJ7 via @heavysan
— ????? ?? (@Josey2A) November 22, 2021
Your mileage may vary, as police have not released much information. However, the fact that this type of information exists, and many media outlets are ignoring it speaks to the mistrust many people have of the media. It’s easy to say that if the shoe was on the other foot, the same media outlets not reporting Brooks’ political leanings would be quick to jump on the story if the race and politics of the victims and the assailant were reversed.
In this case, we don’t fully know everything yet, but the question exists due to the recent Rittenhouse verdict and the proximity of the attack to Kenosha.
UPDATE
The suspect, Darrell Brooks, is being charged with homicide:
Darrell Brooks, 39, was charged with five counts of murder after he allegedly plowed through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday, killing at least five and injuring dozens more.
Brooks, who has a lengthy criminal record, was taken into custody near the scene after a Waukesha police officer opened fire to try to stop the vehicle, authorities said. Officially, Brooks was charged with five counts of intentional homicide, which is the legal equivalent of first-degree murder in Wisconsin, and carries a life sentence upon conviction.
Authorities have dismissed “terrorism” which is a very broad term and doesn’t fully answer for any motivations as to why Brooks decided to enter the parade route and proceed to literally drive over parade participants.
The real scandal here might be the question of why Brooks was ever let out on bail, for a measly $1,000 to begin with. He’s a career criminal, with a serious rap sheet of felony convictions, he never should have been able to roam freely around the streets of Waukesha:
On Friday he posted $1,000 cash bail.
The Milwaukee County District attorney’s office has opened an investigation into such a low bail “in light of the nature of the recent charges and pending charges against Mr. Brooks,’ according to a memo released Monday and obtained by CBS 58 reporter Kristen Barbaresi.
CBS 2 found records for another ongoing case from July, 2020. He was charged with two counts of recklessly endangering safety with use of a dangerous weapon, and possession of a firearm/convicted of felony. He pleaded not guilty in this case.
– In 2011 Brooks was found guilty on a resisting/obstructing an officer charge.
– In 2010, he was found guilty on strangulation and suffocation felony charges in Wood County.
– In 1999, he was found guilty on substantial battery-intend bodily harm, a felony.
This is a developing story that may be updated.
