MIAMI — Tragedy canceled the Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors and Fort Lauderdale Saturday evening, when a person drove a pickup truck into two people, killing one, Fort Lauderdale police said.
Though minutes after the crash Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis told several media outlets "This was a terrorist attack on the LGBTQ community," Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus president Justin Knight emailed a statement to some media outlets, including WPLG-Channel 10, stating otherwise.
"This was not an attack on the LGBTQ community," Knight's statement reportedly said.
The statement said the pickup truck driver as well as the people injured were "part of the Chorus family." NBC6 video shows Fort Lauderdale police handcuffing a person wearing a T-shirt with the group's logo.
Wilton Manors City Commissioner Chris Caputo tweeted, "It seems increasingly probable it was an accident."
Fort Lauderdale police did not release the names of the people involved. Procedure dictates notifying a deceased person's next of kin before releasing a name.
At the scene, Fort Lauderdale police Detective Ali Adamson said, "The investigation into this incident is active and we are considering and evaluating all possibilities. We owe it to our community to conduct a thorough and complete investigation and are working in conjunction with our partners at the FBI to complete that."
The parade had started around 7 p.m. near Northeast 21st Court in Wilton Manors, but the truck hit the pedestrians in the 1700 block of Northeast Fourth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.
"This tragedy took place within feet of me and my (Broward Sheriff's Office) team, and we are devastated having witnessed this horrific incident," Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a Saturday night statement. "I'm proud of all the BSO and local first responders who leaped into action, running into the unknown and instantly provided care for the victims."
Adamson said both men hit were taken to Broward Health Medical Center.
A senior official briefed on the incident told Miami Herald news partner CBS4 that initial indications are that the crash was an accident. The driver's foot allegedly became caught between the gas and the brake, causing him to lose control of the car.
The rest of the parade was canceled, but festival events continued.
