A man was killed and another injured when the driver of a pickup truck unintentionally struck people gathered for a gay pride parade in Florida in a
"tragic accident"
US authorities estimated Sunday (June 20th).
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The incident occurred Saturday at the start of the LGBTQ (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans, queers) parade in the town of Wilton Manors (Florida, southeast), near Fort Lauderdale, and had raised questions about his character intentional or not.
"Today
(Sunday, editor's note)
we know that yesterday's incident was a tragic accident, and not a criminal act directed against any person or any group of individuals,"
Wilton Manors police said in a report. communicated.
For their part, Fort Lauderdale Police said the 77-year-old driver was participating in the festivities and had been chosen to drive the lead van because he suffered from
"walking conditions"
for the duration of the trip. parade.
The white van had started before the start of the parade and
"suddenly sped up, hitting two pedestrians"
before ending its race against the fence of a nearby business, Fort Lauderdale police said in a statement.
The driver, who was arrested and taken into custody, is cooperating with the authorities, she said.
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The two men hit had been transported to a medical center where one of them died, according to the same source.
The vital prognosis of the injured man, still hospitalized, is not engaged.
The mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Dean Trantalis, who spoke on Saturday of a
“premeditated act”
, explained Sunday that he initially feared that
“it could be intentional, from what I saw a few meters away”
.
