One dead after truck crashes into Wilton Manors LGBT Pride parade
Mon. June 21, 2021 11:10 AM by Carlos Santoscoy
A pickup truck on Saturday crashed into an LGBT Pride parade in Wilton Manors, Florida, leaving at least one person dead.
According to various local sources, Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat, was in a convertible participating in the parade. The truck narrowly missed hitting the politician's car.
WPLG reported that two people were run over by the truck.
The two victims and the driver of the truck were reported to be members of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus.
Justin Knight, the group's president, said in a statement that the incident "was not an attack on the LGBTQ community."
The AP on Sunday reported that officials had labeled the incident an accident.
Shortly after the incident on Saturday, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, who is gay, told WPLG that he believed the incident was "a terrorist attack against the LGBT community."
"Hardly an accident," he said. "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."
Officials have declined to name the man who was driving the truck or the names of the two men who were hit. The second man's injuries are said to be serious.
According to various local sources, Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat, was in a convertible participating in the parade. The truck narrowly missed hitting the politician's car.
WPLG reported that two people were run over by the truck.
The two victims and the driver of the truck were reported to be members of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus.
Justin Knight, the group's president, said in a statement that the incident "was not an attack on the LGBTQ community."
The AP on Sunday reported that officials had labeled the incident an accident.
Shortly after the incident on Saturday, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, who is gay, told WPLG that he believed the incident was "a terrorist attack against the LGBT community."
"Hardly an accident," he said. "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."
Officials have declined to name the man who was driving the truck or the names of the two men who were hit. The second man's injuries are said to be serious.
This article appeared at On Top Magazine and has been published here with permission.