A deadly car crash Saturday evening at a Pride parade in South Florida quickly became a political football as onlookers and social media chatter ascribed a hateful motivation to the incident.
“What we saw, it was a terrorist attack on the LGBT community,” Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean J. Trantalis told NBC 6. “This is disgusting. We will not stand for this. This is not going to happen in my city or any city.”
A driver crashed into spectators at the Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade in Broward County, killing one man and injuring another Saturday evening.
While some attributed a hateful motivation to the driver, a Fort Lauderdale police detective told reporters that they were investigating all possibilities.
According to a statement from Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus President Justin Knight, the driver and victims were part of his group and he believed the collision was an accident.
Doubts about the circumstances of the collision did not prevent #DeathSantis from trending Sunday morning on social media, as some Twitter users linked the tragedy to the policies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida Democrat, was at the parade when the collision occurred and tweeted that she and her staff were safe.
“We’re praying for the victims and their loved ones as law enforcement investigates, and I am providing them with whatever assistance I can,” Ms. Wasserman Schultz tweeted. “I am so heartbroken by what took place at this celebration. May the memory of the life lost be a blessing.”
⦁ This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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