THE suspect in the Christmas parade rampage that left five dead had fled a domestic dispute moments before the horror crash and had been bailed just days before the frenzied attack, police said on Monday.
Rapper Darrell Brooks, 39, who performs under the name MathBoi Fly, is facing five charges of intentional homicide, Waukesha’s police chief confirmed.
Police confirmed on Monday that Brooks was being questioned in relation to the rampage in Waukesha, Wisconsin which injured 48 people, including 18 children.
He had also been accused of running over the mother of his child in early November before making bail, court docs reveal.
Officers identified the five victims of the rampage as Virginia Sorenson, 79, LeAnna Owen, 71, Tamara Durand, 52, Jane Kulich, 52, and 81-year-old Wilhelm Hospel, during a press conference on Monday afternoon.
They said the incident was not terror related and added that there was no pursuit in the moments before the rampage.
Members of the “Dancing Grannies” club were among those killed, as was an employee of Citizens Bank.
At least nine patients — most of them children — were listed in critical condition Monday at two hospitals, and seven others were reported in serious condition.
Here’s what we know so far about the Waukesha Christmas parade horror:
- Trouble rapper held over horror crash has criminal history
- Members of beloved local elderly dance troupe are among the dead
- Heroic bystanders raced to perform CPR on injured
- Horrific video footage showed speeding SUV carving through crowds
- Aftermath of scene shows crushed stroller and other debris scattered in the street
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Members of the “ group wrote that it was “devastated” to confirm that some of its members were among the five killed by the speeding SUV that carved through the parade on Main Street at 4.30pm.
Brooks was detained after cops swooped on a property where an SUV that went on the rampage was parked in the driveway.
LONG CRIMINAL HISTORY
Additional court records show Brooks was facing a number of criminal charges in the run up the rampage.
In one case, filed November 5, he was charged with resisting or obstructing an officer, reckless homicide, disorderly conduct, bail jumping and battery.
He was ordered to not have any contact with a female victim and records show $1,000 bond was posted on Friday.
In another case, filed in July 2020, Brooks is charged with reckless endangering and illegal possession of a firearm.
In the more recent one, a woman -believed to be the mother of one of his children – told police that Brooks deliberately ran her over with his vehicle in a gas station parking lot after a fight. She was hospitalized for her injuries.
An arrest warrant for the November 2 incident obtained by The Sun says he punched the mother of one of his children “with a closed fist”.
The woman was left bloodied with tire marks on her clothing and a swollen lip, according to reports.
Court documents show officers “observed her to have swelling to her lip and dry blood on her face.”
“Officers observed tire tracks on her left pants leg,” the report adds.
Details of the latest domestic incident Brooks is said to have been fleeing on Sunday are unknown.
BAIL REVIEW
Brooks is said to have a long criminal history, with 15 arrests since 1999 in Wisconsin alone.
Charges include possession of drugs, strangulation and suffocation and battery.
In Nevada records show he is listed as a sex offender after he was charged with having sex with a minor.
Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement on Sunday: “The bail recommendation in this case is not consistent with the approach of the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office toward matters involving violent crime, nor was it consistent with the risk assessment of the defendant prior to setting of bail.
“This office is currently conducting an internal review of the decision to make the recent bail recommendation in this matter in order to determine the appropriate next steps.”
RITTENHOUSE LINK
It was also reported that Brooks posted on social media after Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of murder over the death of three people in Kenosha, Wisconsin last summer.
Rittenhouse broke down in tears on Friday as he was cleared of five criminal charges after a dramatic trial.
Brooks posted that he was “not surprised” by the outcome of the case though police have so far not said if the rampage had anything to do with the verdict.
And the playlist on Brooks’ YouTube channel and SoundCloud page includes songs about killing.
In one of his music videos the rapper uses an SUV that appears to the one that mowed down people in Waukesha.
Cops opened fire Sunday after an SUV plowed through a barrier and sped off after the horror incident.
Officers later swooped at an address in Milwaukee where the SUV was pictured.
The front of the vehicle was crumpled right up to the windscreen with the bumper and license plate hanging off.
In a video on his YouTube channel, the same car that plowed into the parade appears to be used.
PARADE HORROR
The first three letters on the license plate ADP and the vehicle’s description are the same as reportedly heard on the police scanner.
Families and performers were celebrating an annual holiday event when the horror unfolded.
After the SUV is seen speeding through the parade, members of the crowd can be seen ushering performers to the side of the road to allow emergency vehicles through.
Waukesha residents had gathered to celebrate the city’s 58th annual Christmas parade, according to a post on their chamber of commerce’s website.
“Comfort and joy” is used on the site to describe the parade, which began at 4pm local time and traveled on Main Street in downtown Waukesha.
