The death toll of Waukesha’s Christmas parade crash was bumped up to six after prosecutors announced on Tuesday that a child connected to the incident had died.
The incident has injured at least 62 people injured last week, including multiple children, after a man drove a red coloured SUV into the crowd. The primary suspect in the incident has been identified as Darrell Brooks Jr, who was taken into custody after a Waukesha police officer opened fire to try to stop the vehicle, authorities said.
The latest death comes as Brooks Jr made his first court appearance in relation to the car crash on Tuesday. The 39-year-old was charged with five counts of intentional homicide, according to the prosecutors.
According to reports from Associated Press, conviction on first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence, which is the stiffest penalty in the state of Wisconsin.
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He could be heard crying during the court proceeding on Tuesday, leaning over with his head nearly in his lap, with his attorney resting a hand on his back.
Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said Brooks, who is 39 years old, was leaving the scene of a domestic dispute that had taken place just minutes earlier when he drove into the parade route.
Brooks had left the site of the domestic disturbance before officers arrived, and was not being chased by police at the time of the crash, according to the chief, who gave no further details on the dispute.
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Brooks has been charged with crimes more than a dozen times in the last two decades and had two outstanding cases against him at the time of the parade disaster. That included resisting or obstructing an officer, reckless endangering, disorderly conduct, bail jumping and battery for the November 2 incident.