Said the Wilton Manors police chief, “ incident was a tragic accident, and not a criminal act directed at anyone, or any group of individuals.”
The driver wore a chorus T-shirt, and adorned his truck with a “large Pride flag,” the newspaper reported. All three were members of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus. Police say he was inching forward when he accelerated unexpectedly, hitting two pedestrians. The man was physically unable to walk in the parade, so his truck was chosen as the lead vehicle. Indeed, the driver himself is a member of a homosexual group participating in the parade: FhV427HEKr- South Florida Sun Sentinel June 20, 2021Īs Fort Lauderdale’s Sun-Sentinel reported, “a truck plowed through a crowd at an LGBTQ Pride parade Saturday night, killing one person and injuring another - but the 77-year-old man behind the wheel did not intend to hurt a soul, police say.” The demonstrations proved to be a turning point in the LGBTQ community's struggle for civil rights.BREAKING: Police are saying that Saturday's incident at the Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride parade that left one person dead was an accident. June is Pride Month, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots sparked by repeated police raids on a popular gay bar in New York.
Be sure to hug the ones you love tonight."
"Our prayers are with the victims and their families. "This tragedy took place within feet of me and my (Broward Sheriff's Office) team, and we are devastated having witnessed this horrific incident," he said. While the parade was cancelled "due to a tragic event", the other festival events continued, it said.īroward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said on Facebook that he had also been at the scene. The Wilton Manors Police Department tweeted Saturday night after the crash that the public was not in danger. "My staff, volunteers and I are thankfully safe," she added. "I am deeply shaken and devastated that a life was lost," she said. Wasserman Schultz said on Twitter that she was "heartbroken" by what had taken place. In the immediate aftermath, he called it "a terrorist attack against the LGBT community" and claimed the truck had targeted the car of a Democratic congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz - who was in a convertible waiting to take part in the procession - but narrowly missed her. We anticipate more details to follow and ask for the community's love and support."#photo1įort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, who was at the parade, told a local broadcaster he thought the crash was "deliberate". To my knowledge, this was not an attack on the LGBTQ community. "Our fellow Chorus members were those injured and the driver is also a part of the Chorus family. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the unfortunate accident that occurred when the Stonewall Pride Parade was just getting started," he said in the statement. The driver and the victims are members of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus, according to a statement from the group's president Justin Knight, who called the incident an "unfortunate accident". The other remains hospitalized but is expected to survive, she added. Two adult men were transported to a medical center where one later died, Adamson told reporters in a televised press briefing. The white pickup truck was lined up with other floats for the parade when it accelerated and ran into pedestrians before crashing into a plant nursery, Local 10 News said. The incident happened at the start of the Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade and festival, an LGBTQ celebration in a town near Fort Lauderdale. Police detective Ali Adamson said officials were evaluating all possibilities. While the truck appeared to be taking part in the procession, it was not immediately clear if the crash was a deliberate assault or an accident. The driver of a pickup truck slammed into a crowd gathering for a Pride parade Saturday in south Florida, killing one man and injuring another, authorities said.