Darrell Brooks, the man accused of intentionally driving his SUV into Christmas parade participants in Waukesha, Wisconsin, had his bail set at $5 million during his first court appearance as he was officially charged with five counts of intentional homicide, though prosecutors said they will be filing additional charges since a sixth person, a child, has died from being hit by the SUV.
Brooks spent most of the hearing hunched over and was crying as prosecutors laid out how detectives who attempted to stop the vehicle said they believe Brooks intentionally drove the SUV into the parade route and its participants.
According to the criminal complaint, one eyewitness said, "As I continued to watch the SUV, it continued to drive in a zig-zag motion. It was like the SUV was trying to avoid vehicles, not people. There was no attempt made by the vehicle to stop, much less slow down."
County Commissioner Kevin Costello laid out Brooks' extensive criminal history that spans multiple states, stating Brooks clearly does not act rationally in stressful situations.
Jackson Sparks, an 8-year-old, is the sixth person killed in the attack. The total number of injured now stands at 62.
Heartbreaking update: 8-year-old Jackson Sparks is the 6th person to die as a result of the #Waukesha parade attack. Jackson’s brother was also hurt but is recovering. #waukeshaChristmasParade pic.twitter.com/eBAwAKE4Vb
— Kristen Barbaresi (@KristenBarbar) November 23, 2021
Costello, while looking emotional, said, "The nature of this offense is shocking...Detectives not only tried to stop this but rendered an opinion that this was an intentional act," adding that while the bail of $5 million is "extraordinarily high bail, it's warranted."
If convicted on just one count, Brooks faces life in prison.