Tragedy at Fort Lauderdale Pride
What was meant to be a day of celebration ended in devastation. At a gay pride parade in Fort Lauderdale, a 77-year old man is involved in a horrific accident that saw two pedestrians hospitalised, with one later dying in hospital.
Two Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus members were mowed down by a van driver, another member of the Chorus line. The driver is cooperating fully with the investigation.
https://twitter.com/IanMargolWPLG/status/1406389374888120322
Both injured Pride-goers were rushed to the Broward Health Medical Center, where one sadly passed away from his injuries. The other chorus singer remains in critical condition.
My statement following yesterday's events in Wilton Manors is below.
I want to thank our first responders for their efforts as police and medical personnel immediately attended to the scene. pic.twitter.com/lahwAQPO3C— Mayor Dean J. Trantalis (@DeanTrantalis) June 20, 2021
Mayor Dean Trantalis initially suggested the attack had been “international” in nature, but no links to terrorism were found. Instead, it seems that the van lost control.
“I was eyewitness to the horrifying events … I feared it could be intentional based on what I saw from mere feet away,” Trantalis said on Twitter.
#JUST #IN @NBC6 The Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus released a statement saying the victims and the driver at the #WiltonManors Pride parade crash are members of the chorus family. They said the incident was not an attack: pic.twitter.com/w1UDBaK4Eo
— Carlos Suarez (@CarlosSuarezCNN) June 20, 2021
“As the facts continue to be pieced together, a picture is emerging of an accident in which a truck careened out of control,” he said.
The incident is not yet resolved and is still under investigation by local authorities.