Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis acknowledged in his latest statement that the Pride Parade crash in a Florida city might have been an “accident.”
What he said: “Last evening, at the start of what was to be a celebration of pride for the LGBT community and commemoration of our hard-won victories for equality, our community faced the worst of tragedies. The grief of our LGBT community — and greater Fort Lauderdale as a whole — is palpable,” Trantalis said.
“I was an eyewitness to the horrifying events. It terrorized me and all around me. I reported what I saw to law enforcement and had strong concerns about what transpired — concerns for the safety of my community. I feared it could be intentional based on what I saw from mere feet away,” he continued.
“Law enforcement took what appeared obvious to me and others nearby and investigated further — as is their job. As the facts continue to be pieced together, a picture is emerging of an accident in which a truck careened out of control,” he added.
My statement following yesterday's events in Wilton Manors is below.
I want to thank our first responders for their efforts as police and medical personnel immediately attended to the scene. pic.twitter.com/lahwAQPO3C— Mayor Dean J. Trantalis (@DeanTrantalis) June 20, 2021
What happened: Shortly before the Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors was set to begin, a white pickup truck plowed into the crowd and struck two individuals, killing one of them and seriously injuring the second man. Police quickly apprehended the driver and took him in for questioning, according to WPLG Local 10.
The FBI joined the investigation as well.
Worth noting: The white Dodge Ram narrowly missed Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz (D) who was also at the event. Trantalis was present at the parade as well.
Trantalis’ initial remarks: The mayor said that the incident was a deliberate attack and described it as a “terrorist attack” against the LGBT community.
“This is a terrorist attack against the LGBT community,” Trantalis told WPLG. “This is exactly what it is. Hardly an accident. It was deliberate, it was premeditated, and it was targeted against a specific person. Luckily they missed that person, but unfortunately, they hit two other people.”
https://twitter.com/IanMargolWPLG/status/1406389374888120322
The driver was a member of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, as well as his victims, according to the groups’ president Justin Knight.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragic accident that occurred when the Stonewall Pride Parade was just getting started,” Knight said in a statement. “Our fellow Chorus members were those injured and the driver was also a part of the Chorus family. To my knowledge, this was not an attack on the LGBTQ community. We anticipate more details to follow and ask for the community’s love and support.”
The group said that the truck was part of their entry in the parade. Witnesses said they saw the driver wearing Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus t-shirt and some said they heard the driver telling law enforcement that it was an accident.
https://twitter.com/IanMargolWPLG/status/1406390440597901313
According to police, the driver is 77 years old and was picked to drive the vehicle because he had ailments that prevent him from walking for the duration of the parade.
“The driver remained on scene and has been cooperative with investigators for the duration of the investigation. A DUI investigation of the driver was conducted on scene and showed no signs of impairment,” law enforcement said.
