One person was killed and another one injured, after a truck drove into a crowd gathered for a pride parade near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A city mayor says the incident was a deliberate attack, targeting a congresswoman.
The incident occurred just as the Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade kicked off on Saturday evening. A white pickup truck sped up, reportedly in the direction of the car of Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, but instead crashed into a business and hit two people, one of whom did not survive their injuries.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, who was present at the parade, told the local media that the suspected assailant’s car missed the lawmaker's vehicle “by inches” before it “smashed through a gate, smashed into a landscaping company and hit two people.”
A video shared on social media shows police officers rounding up a man wearing a white T-shirt and black glasses at the scene.
Breaking: A person has died after a truck hit two people at the Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors, Florida. The Fort Lauderdale mayor says that the incident was a ‘terrorist attack’ against the LGBT community. pic.twitter.com/Gk5p7aOnsg
— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) June 20, 2021
While police said that two people were “struck by a vehicle” while marching to celebrate “inclusion and equality,” they stopped short of saying if the incident was a premeditated attack.
“What started as a celebration quickly turned to tragedy at today’s Stonewall Pride Parade. Though authorities are still gathering information, we know two individuals marching to celebrate inclusion and equality were struck by a vehicle. pic.twitter.com/ZWcQfO9wky
— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) June 20, 2021
However, the mayor appeared to have little doubt that the collision was intentional.
“This was a terrorist attack against the LGBT communities. This is exactly what it is,” Trantalis said. “It was deliberate, it was premeditated and it was targeted against this specific person. Luckily they missed that person, but, unfortunately, they hit two other people,” he added.
Wasserman Schultz, who was attending the event in a convertible, was looking visibly distressed in wake of the incident.
Photos from the scene where a truck drove into a crowd taking part in The Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival in Wilton Manors. Rep. Wasserman Schultz is seen reacting to the incident. @SunSentinel pic.twitter.com/UAIaa7yRTe
— Chris Day (@cjday1900) June 19, 2021
The parade was cancelled to allow a “thorough investigation” and out of respect to the victims, the city announced. However, the Stonewall festival is set to continue, police confirmed, declaring that there was “no danger to the public.”
Due to a tragic event, the Stonewall Pride Parade has been cancelled but the festival events will continue.
— wmpd411 (@WMPD411) June 20, 2021
*THERE IS NO DANGER TO THE PUBLIC.* https://t.co/als3T0MG4m
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
0 Comments