The driver responsible for killing one person and injuring two others during a Pride parade in Florida last weekend apologized for the accident.
Fred Johnson Jr., 77, allegedly struck James Fahy, 75, who died; Jerry Vroegh, 67; and Gary Keating, 69, with his 2011 white Dodge Ram on Saturday.
“I offer my sincere regrets to all those who were impacted by this tragic event. I love my Chorus family and the community and would never do anything to intentionally harm anyone,” Johnson said in a statement on Monday, according to NBC News. “Please know that I hold my fellow Chorus member, Jim Fahy, in my heart forever and offer my condolences to his friends and family.”
VICTIMS IN FATAL FLORIDA PRIDE PARADE CRASH A PART OF GAY MEN’S CHORUS
Johnson Jr. is a member of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, as was Fahy. The 77-year-old had ailments that prevented him from walking the duration of the parade, and he was selected to drive the lead vehicle, police said. A DUI test of the driver was conducted on the scene, and he did not show signs of impairment.
Both Vroegh and Keating were taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries, and both have been discharged.
The twilight parade, themed “Out of the Darkness, Into the Light,” began at Northeast 21st Court in Wilton Manors at approximately 7 p.m., but the crash reportedly took place in nearby Fort Lauderdale.
The investigation remains active, though authorities say the evidence suggests the crash was a “terrible accident.”
Shortly after the crash occurred, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis referred to the incident as a “terrorist attack” against the LGBT community. The mayor later clarified his statement, saying he “feared it could be intentional based on what [he] saw from mere feet away.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Johnson’s truck missed striking the car of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was participating in the parade, “by inches,” the mayor said on Saturday.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
