An eight-year-old boy has become the sixth person to die as a result of a man driving his SUV into a Christmas parade in Wisconsin.
Darrell Brooks Junior has been charged with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide, a charge that carries a mandatory life sentence if convicted.
Additional charges relating to the sixth death and the more than 60 people injured will be coming later this week or next, said Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper.
The criminal complaint said 62 people were injured in suburban Milwaukee, up from the 48 previously announced by police, and that the 39-year-old steered side-to-side with the intent of striking marchers and spectators.
He rocked back and forth in his seat and cried throughout his court hearing on Tuesday, his lawyer’s arm on his back, as the charges against him were detailed.
His bail was set at 5 million dollars (£3.75 million), and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for January 14.
“The nature of this offence is shocking,” said Waukesha Court Commissioner Kevin Costello.
Brooks is accused of speeding away from police and entering the Waukesha Christmas parade on Sunday night, refusing to stop even as an officer banged on the roof of his SUV.
Another officer fired three shots into the vehicle, but it did not stop.
Five people ranging in age from 52 to 81 were pronounced dead within hours, and Jackson Sparks was named as the sixth victim.
He was walking in the parade with his 12-year-old brother Tucker, who was injured in the crash and is due to be discharged from hospital, according to his GoFundMe page.
“This afternoon, our dear Jackson has sadly succumbed to his injuries and passed away,” the page’s organiser, Alyssa Albro, wrote.
The city’s livestream video and bystander video captured the chaotic scene when an SUV sped along the parade route and then into the crowd.
Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said Brooks was leaving the scene of a domestic dispute that had taken place just minutes earlier when he drove into the parade route.
Hundreds gathered at a downtown park on Monday night in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for a candlelight vigil in honour of those lost and injured.
