One dead after driver crashes into Florida Pride parade
- Published
One man has died and another was injured after a person drove into a Pride parade in Florida.
The pickup truck hit people at the Wilton Manors Stonewall event north of Fort Lauderdale on Saturday.
Police said the motive of the driver - who has since been detained - is unknown.
Broward County sheriff Gregory Tony tweeted that the event took place "within feet of me" and his team, and the injured man remains in hospital.
"Though authorities are still gathering information, we know two individuals marching to celebrate inclusion and equality were struck by a vehicle," he posted.
It is as yet unclear if the driver has been charged.
1/3 What started as a celebration quickly turned to tragedy at today’s Stonewall Pride Parade. Though authorities are still gathering information, we know two individuals marching to celebrate inclusion and equality were struck by a vehicle. pic.twitter.com/J53VZBnKuu
— Sheriff Gregory Tony (@bsosherifftony) June 20, 2021
Local broadcaster WSVN quoted Fort Lauderdale's Mayor Dean Trantalis as saying the driver acted as if they were part of the parade before accelerating.
But according to a statement reported by the Associated Press, both the driver and the victims were members of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus.
"To my knowledge it was an accident. This was not an attack on the LGBTQ community," its president Justin Knight reportedly said in the statement. "We anticipate more details to follow and ask for the community's love and support."
A Democratic congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, was also at the parade.
"I am deeply shaken and devastated that a life was lost and others seriously injured," she tweeted, adding that she and her team were safe.
Five years ago this month Florida was the scene of a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. The killer murdered 49 people at Pulse - the deadliest violent incident against LGBT people in US history.