Waukesha Parade attendees recount the moments that shook their lives while the community grieves

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Christmas lights, hot cocoa, and friendly neighbors came together to enjoy an evening of comfort and joy for the 58th annual Waukesha Christmas Parade. Families lined the street with their blankets and chairs in preparation for the dancers and bands to pass by. When a red SUV came speeding through, they knew something was wrong. 

More than 60 people were injured and six people were killed when Darrell E. Brooks, 39, of Milwaukee sped through the parade path without stopping on Sunday, Nov. 21. One of the victims included 8-year-old Jackson Sparks who’s older brother was also injured in the attack.

Parade-goers are reflecting on the incident while the town deals with recovering. Marquette Junior Kaylee Staral, 20, had moved to Waukesha over the summer from Illinois and went to the parade to get a better feel of the community.

“We just moved there,” said Staral. “What better way to get to know the city than going to the annual holiday parade. I went to the parade with my mom and stepdad; it was supposed to be a fun time.”

Staral watched the kids line the path along Main st. equipped with their candy bags, typical of any parade. People cheered as the dancers passed and got into the holiday spirit while the marching bands jammed to Jingle Bells. 

Candles and flowers were placed at the scene of the tragedy.

Photo: Brady Jager

“Around 4:35 you just started to hear a bunch of people scream,” said Staral. “Your first thought is maybe it’s Santa Claus. But the next thing you see is this Red SUV barreling down the street.”

People were confused and couldn’t tell if the SUV was a part of the parade or not, according to Staral. People had no idea what was really happening.

“The car starts hitting people right in front of your eyes,” Staral recalled. “It doesn’t stop. It keeps going.”

Staral described the chaos that ensued after the initial hits. Terrified people were screaming and running into stores along the route. Others went into the street to help those that were hurt.

“There were at least four bodies on the ground in front of me,” said Staral.  “My mom and my stepdad went up to those people and saw that they were conscious and breathing. They were badly injured and needed to get to a hospital asap.” 

In those moments, Staral immediately pulled out her phone to make a tweet to spread the word about the incident. 

“A car just ran through the middle of a downtown parade,” read the tweet. “Multiple people on the ground injured.”

Shortly after the car came through, police officers made their way to the scene.

“There are two police officers that are running down the street and radioing the other police in the area,” said Staral. “You hear them say at least 30 people down, shots fired, everyone get off the street.”

Waukesha Resident Bernadette Schons, 22, was toward the end of the parade route with her family, and at that point, Brooks was making his exit from the scene. 

“Before it happened the girl scouts had just passed us,” said Schons. “We were right across from the Veterans Park where he drove through the barricades and left the parade.”

Like many others, Schons was confused about the situation and thought maybe it was a part of the parade. People would get loud every time a new float or group passed and she assumed that was why people were screaming.

“He was going super fast and at that point, there was no one in front of us,” said Schons. “He was swerving from side to side, trying to hit the people on the curb. It all happened so fast, but it felt slow because you’re just watching it as it’s happening.”

When the police began to shoot at the vehicle, people had no idea where the shots came from and questioned if there was an active shooter on the scene, according to Schons.

Schons even saw one woman grab a little girl out of the way when he attempted to turn into the Girl Scouts Troop. As he passed, she saw a clear image of Brooks’ face. 

“After that, he drove perfectly straight,” said Schons. “It looked like he was intentionally hitting people. He was focused and looking forward when our eyes met. He was hunched against the wheel as he drove.”

Parade attendees are dealing with the mental aftermath of being there and emotions are just as high as they were that night.

“I didn’t really process anything,” said Staral. “I was in class looking through Twitter when they announced that the 8-year-old boy died. I immediately had tears coming down my face. I went and cried in the school stairwell.” 

Many of the people there were children, who have yet to understand what really happened.

“My little sister, 7, isn’t even able to talk about it,” said Schons. “She’s not old enough to understand. We got really lucky, there’s a lot of people that didn’t. My mom wanted to stay on the edge of the parade and I am really glad we did that.”

Christmas lights illuminate a memorial on Main st. 

Photo: Brady Jager

The Waukesha Chamber of Commerce put out a statement encouraging people to remember the theme of the parade; comfort and joy.

“We wish to extend our thoughts and prayers to the victims as well as their friends, families, and attendees,” said the statement. “Waukesha is a closely woven community that will come together and support each other as we process this senseless crime.”

Memorials can be found along the parade route in Waukesha and several Go-Fund-Mes for victims and businesses have surfaced.

“I am thinking about all the people that were affected,” said Staral “I’m sure their thanksgivings were a lot different this year. How do you explain to your kids what happened? So many kids were there. My heart just goes out to everyone that was at the parade.”