Darrell Brooks, the man who drove an SUV into the Waukesha, Wisconsin Christmas parade, killing six people, has been charged with a sixth intentional homicide count, according to a court filing Monday.
Brooks, 39, attacked the November 21st event, killing five who died overnight and injured over 40 other people. He was charged immediately and jailed with a $5 million bail.
Now, the sixth victim died Tuesday as a result of “craniocerebral injuries from blunt force trauma to the head,” according to Monday’s report by the Waukesha County medical examiner.
Police claim Brooks intentionally targeted participants and parade-goers, ultimately striking a float.
Brooks had been involved in a “domestic disturbance” just prior to SUV attack. Police were not engaged in a chase of the suspect at the time of the incident, but there was confirmation that one officer did fire several times at Brooks’ vehicle as he drove through the parade.
Public defender Wilson Medina said by email, “We don’t have a comment at this time.”
In 2020, Brooks was charged with recklessly endangering safety and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to documents from the Milwaukee District Attorney’s office.
Earlier this month, Brooks confronted a woman outside a motel. He knocked her phone out of her hand and drove off. He then returned, punch her in the face and and ran her over with his vehicle. The report notes that the woman had tire marks on her pants in addition to other injuries from the incident.
Brooks was charged in that incident on Nov. 5, but his bail was set at only $1,000. By Nov. 11, he had posted bail and was released from custody.
Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said in a statement emailed to NPR that the state’s bail recommendation was “inappropriately low in light of the nature of the recent charges and the pending charges against Mr. Brooks.”
“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,” the statement said.
Chisholm’s office added that it was conducting an internal review of the decision of the bail recommendation.
MEDIA BIAS ON DISPLAY: NBC calls Brooks the “suspect” in the “Christmas parade tragedy” and later says it’s “alleged”
