Officials Say Deadly Pride Parade Crash Was Not Intentional

Officials Say Deadly Pride Parade Crash Was Not Intentional
Police and firefighters respond after a truck drove into a crowd of people injuring them during The Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival in Wilton Manors, Fla., on June 19, 2021. (Chris Day/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
The Associated Press
6/20/2021
Updated:
6/20/2021

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—A member of a men’s chorus group unintentionally slammed into fellow chorists at the start of a gay pride parade in South Florida, killing one member of the group and seriously injuring another, the group’s director said Sunday, clarifying initial speculation that it was a hate crime directed at the gay community.

Wilton Manors Vice Mayor Paul Rolli and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said the early investigation shows it was an accident. The 77-year-old driver was taken into custody, but police said no charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing.

The elderly driver had ailments that prevented him from walking, according to a statement Sunday from Fort Lauderdale Police, who said he was cooperating with the investigation and there was no evidence drugs or alcohol was involved.

“The early investigation now indicates it looks like it was a tragic accident, but nobody’s saying finally what it is,” Rolli told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

People look at the site where a driver slammed into spectators at the start of a gay pride parade in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 20, 2021. (Lynne Sladky/(AP Photo)
People look at the site where a driver slammed into spectators at the start of a gay pride parade in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 20, 2021. (Lynne Sladky/(AP Photo)

The driver and the victims were a part of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus family, a small 25-member group of mostly older men.

“Our 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,” President Justin Knight said in a statement Sunday, calling it “an unfortunate accident.”

Rolli was on the float in front of the chorus truck along with Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis and other city officials at a staging area where the floats were being readied. Trantalis said the driver of a pickup truck suddenly accelerated when he was told he was next in the parade, crashing into the victims.

The driver continued across all lanes of traffic, ultimately crashing into a fence on the other side of the street, police said.

Rolli was on the other side of the float and didn’t witness the crash, but jumped off immediately and ran to the victims. In the confusion, it was unclear what happened.

Fort Lauderdale Police said no arrests have been made saying they are conducting a thorough investigation with the FBI, nothing in a statement they are “considering and evaluating all possibilities.”

Flowers lie at the scene where a driver slammed into spectators at the start of a gay pride parade in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 20, 2021. (Lynne Sladky/AP Photo)
Flowers lie at the scene where a driver slammed into spectators at the start of a gay pride parade in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 20, 2021. (Lynne Sladky/AP Photo)

Trantalis initially told reporters the act was deliberate, adding to the confusion Saturday night.

“It terrorized me and all around me ... I feared it could be intentional based on what I saw from mere feet away,” he said in a Twitter statement Sunday. “As the facts continue to be pieced together, a picture is emerging of an accident in which a truck careened out of control.”

A spokesman for the chorus said the director did not want to give interviews, adding that many members of the small group witnessed the fatal crash and were deeply shaken.

By Kelli Kennedy