Police investigate the scene where a pickup truck drove into a crowd of people at a Pride parade on June 19, 2021 in Wilton Manors, Florida. One person died and one was injured in the incident that is still under investigation. (Photo by Jason Koerner / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
WASHINGTON, United States (Updated) 鈥� The driver of a pickup truck slammed into a crowd gathering for a Pride parade Saturday in south Florida, killing one man and injuring another, authorities said.
While the truck appeared to be taking part in the procession, it was not immediately clear if the crash was a deliberate assault or an accident. Police detective Ali Adamson said officials were evaluating all possibilities.
The incident happened at the start of the Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade and festival, an LGBTQ celebration in a town near Fort Lauderdale.
The white pickup truck was lined up with other floats for the parade when it accelerated and ran into pedestrians before crashing into a plant nursery, Local 10 黑料社 said.
The driver was later taken into custody.
Two adult men were transported to a medical center where one later died, Adamson told reporters in a televised press briefing. The other remains hospitalized but is expected to survive, she added.
The driver and the victims are members of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men鈥檚 Chorus, according to a statement from the group鈥檚 president Justin Knight, who called the incident an 鈥渦nfortunate accident鈥�.
鈥淥ur thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the unfortunate accident that occurred when the Stonewall Pride Parade was just getting started,鈥� he said in the statement.
鈥淥ur fellow Chorus members were those injured and the driver is 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鈥檚 love and support.鈥�
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, who was at the parade, told a local broadcaster he thought the crash was 鈥渄eliberate鈥�.
In the immediate aftermath, he called it 鈥渁 terrorist attack against the LGBT community鈥� and claimed the truck had targeted the car of a Democratic congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz 鈥� who was in a convertible waiting to take part in the procession 鈥� but narrowly missed her.
Wasserman Schultz said on Twitter that she was 鈥渉eartbroken鈥� by what had taken place.
鈥淚 am deeply shaken and devastated that a life was lost,鈥� she said.
鈥淢y staff, volunteers and I are thankfully safe,鈥� she added.
The Wilton Manors Police Department tweeted Saturday night after the crash that the public was not in danger.
While the parade was cancelled 鈥渄ue to a tragic event鈥�, the other festival events continued, it said.
Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said on Facebook that he had also been at the scene.
鈥淭his tragedy took place within feet of me and my (Broward Sheriff鈥檚 Office) team, and we are devastated having witnessed this horrific incident,鈥� he said.
鈥淥ur prayers are with the victims and their families. Be sure to hug the ones you love tonight.鈥�
June is Pride Month, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots sparked by repeated police raids on a popular gay bar in New York. The demonstrations proved to be a turning point in the LGBTQ community鈥檚 struggle for civil rights.