“We are working closely with the City of Waukesha Police Department to review the matter and decide what criminal charges will be issued,” the DA’s office said Monday. Police said they would be referring five counts of intentional homicide as well as other charges.
Brooks had been released from jail less than two weeks ago in a domestic abuse case — on a $1,000 bail that prosecutors recommended and now say was “inappropriately low.”
Another 48 people were treated at area hospitals, according to Waukesha Fire Chief Steve Howard.
Suspect was fleeing domestic disturbance, sources say
Brooks was involved in a domestic disturbance with another person just prior to driving his SUV through the parade, Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said, noting police were not able to respond to the initial call about the incident since reports of what happened at the parade came quickly after.
Indications from authorities are that Brooks was fleeing the initial incident, according to multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the preliminary investigation findings. There was no police pursuit of Brooks leading up to the parade, police said.
Police had barricades up near the parade, and Brooks drove through those when an officer tried to stop him, Thompson said.
A Waukesha police officer opened fire to try to stop the vehicle after it struck pedestrians. No bystanders were struck by the officer’s gunfire, the chief said. Thompson added he doesn’t believe any shots were fired from the vehicle, and said the incident was not a terrorist event.
The SUV was identified shortly afterward, according to Thompson, and Brooks was later apprehended.
Suspect was out on bail in another incident involving a car
Brooks posted the bail on November 11 in relation to charges including domestic abuse. That incident also involved Brooks being accused of using a car to cause an injury, according to a criminal complaint.
On November 2, according to the complaint, Brooks ran over a woman while she was walking through a gas station parking lot. “Officers observed tire tracks on her left pants leg,” the criminal complaint claims.
Prosecutors filed five charges related to the incident including obstructing an officer, second-degree recklessly endangering safety with domestic abuse assessments, disorderly conduct with domestic abuse assessments and misdemeanor battery with domestic abuse assessments.
In a statement, the Milwaukee DA’s office said it should not have recommended such a low bail for Brooks and that it has launched an internal review into the decision.
“The State’s bail recommendation in this case was inappropriately low in light of the nature of the recent charges and the pending charges against Mr. Brooks,” the office said. “The bail recommendation in this case is not consistent with the approach of the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office toward matters involving violent crime, nor was it consistent with the risk assessment of the defendant prior to setting of bail.”
CNN reached out to Brooks’ attorney from the 2020 and earlier November 2021 incident about the DA statement but has not yet received a response.
Brooks also has an outstanding arrest warrant in Nevada in an unrelated case for which he was arrested and jumped bail, authorities said. CNN has reached out to a previous attorney for Brooks with no response.
Authorities in Nevada issued an active warrant on Brooks on August 15, 2016, for jumping bail, according to Sarah Johns, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson. Johns said detectives later determined Brooks was in Wisconsin. “However, detectives did not have viable intelligence on Brooks’ exact location.”
Victims still being treated at hospitals
Eighteen children, ranging in ages 3 to 16, were transported to Children’s Wisconsin Hospital, according to Dr. Amy Drendel, director of the hospital’s emergency department and trauma center.
“Injuries ranged from facial abrasions to broken bones to serious head injuries. Six of these patients were sent to the operating room last night and two additional patients are undergoing surgeries today,” Drendel said at a press conference Monday.
Two children were discharged from the hospital as of Monday, according to Dr. Michael Meyer, medical director for the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit.
Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee received seven patients from the parade, according to hospital spokesperson Nalissa Wienke, and their statuses have not been released. Froedtert is the only Level I trauma center in southeast Wisconsin, typically used to provide care for the most critically ill patients.
Four people were admitted to ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital. Three have been discharged and one remains in stable condition as of Monday night, the hospital said in a statement.
CNN’s Paul P. Murphy, Raja Razek, Dave Alsup, Holly Yan, Amir Vera, Joe Sutton, Keith Allen, Shimon Prokupecz and Evan Perez contributed to this report.