Members of a beloved dance troupe of pompom-shaking grandmothers were among those killed Sunday night after a man driving a red SUV plowed into Christmas paraders in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing at least five people and injuring 48 more.
The people Darnell Brooks Jr., 39, allegedly killed are all over the age of 50 and include James Coolidge, 52; Tamara Durand, 52; Wilhelm Hospel, 82; Leanna Owens, 71; and Virginia Sorenson, 79.
Sorenson, a member of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies who worked part time in medical records, had been married to her husband Dave for 56 years. She had two adult children and six grandchildren.
“What did she like about (MDG)? Everything,” her husband told the Milwaukee Journal. “She liked the instructing. She liked the dancing and the camaraderie of the women. She liked to perform.”
The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, an award-winning group formed in 1984 that met once a week to practice their routines, said in a Facebook post they were “devastated by this terrible tragedy.”
“Those who died were extremely passionate Grannies,” the post said. “Their eyes gleamed… joy of being a Grannie. They were the glue… held us together.”
The group was “doing what they loved, performing in front of crowds in a parade putting smiles on faces of all ages, filling them with joy and happiness.”
CHRISTMAS PARADE MASSACRE SUSPECT ID’D AS FELON DARRELL BROOKS JR. BAILED TWO DAYS EARLIER
The group added, “While performing the grannies enjoyed hearing the crowds cheer and applause, which certainly brought smiles to their faces and warmed their hearts.”
Ahead of the Waukesha Christmas Parade, the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, who perform in summer and winter parades, posted, “Waukesha here we come!!!”
David Simmons, a priest at St. Matthias Episcopal Church, called the colorful group “a staple” on the parade scene.
“It’s pretty adorable, honestly,” he told the Washington Post. “It’s elderly women who are really dancing hard, and it’s something that people look forward to in the parade.”
On Monday, Dr. Michael Gutzeit, chief medical officer of the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, said that 18 children between the ages of 3 and 16 years had been brought to the hospital. Dr. Michael Meyer, the hospital’s medical director, said 10 were in intensive care and six were in critical condition.
The victims also include three sets of siblings whose ailments range from bruises and broken bones to serious head injuries.
“The injured from Sunday night will go well beyond the physical and will take time to heal,” Gutzeit said.
Thirteen patients were being treated at the nearby Aurora Medical Center-Summit, including three people in critical condition. Froedtert Hospital had received seven.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee confirmed one of its priests was among the injured, along with some parishioners and students at a local Catholic school.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers ordered the U.S. flag and the Wisconsin flag to be flown at half-mast on Monday.
Authorities identified Darrell Brooks Jr. as the driver of the red SUV. He is a career criminal who was allegedly fleeing a knife fight when he crashed into paradegoers, authorities said. The 39-year-old from Milwaukee, an amateur rapper who had been bailed out of jail less than 48 hours earlier, has a lengthy criminal history, including two open felony cases.
Brooks will be charged with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide, authorities said Monday afternoon.
