City Official: Fatal Crash at Pride Parade Looks Accidental

1 killed, 1 injured when pickup truck slams into crowd in Florida
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 20, 2021 8:50 AM CDT
Truck Strikes People at Pride Parade, Killing 1
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is comforted after a truck drove into a crowd of people during the Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival in Wilton Manors, Fla.   (Chris Day/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

A gay pride parade near Fort Lauderdale was brought to a tragic halt just as it began on Saturday when a pickup truck fatally struck one person and injured another, reports the Miami Herald. Though initial reports suggested otherwise, it looks "increasingly probable" that the incident at the Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors was an accident, tweeted city commissioner Chris Caputo. The driver and the two people struck were all connected to the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus, per NBC News. "To my knowledge, this was not an attack on the LGBTQ community," says the group's president, Justin Knight. His statement came after Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis described it as a "terrorist attack on the LGBTQ community" minutes after it happened.

The driver is in custody, though it was unclear whether he has been charged with anything, per the AP. Among those at the parade was Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was seen being comforted in the immediate aftermath. “I am so heartbroken by what took place at this celebration,” she said. “May the memory of the life lost be for a blessing.” Some witnesses interviewed in various outlets thought the crash looked deliberate, but authorities say it will take time to sort out what happened. “The investigation into this incident is active, and we are considering and evaluating all possibilities," said Fort Lauderdale police Det. Ali Adamson. (More Florida stories.)

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