FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — One man is dead and another injured after a driver plowed his white pickup through the crowd at the start of an LGBTQ Pride parade Saturday night. The question remains: Was it an intentional act or a horrible accident?
The authorities weren’t saying on Sunday.
Fort Lauderdale police and the FBI are investigating the fatal crash that interrupted the start of the Wilton Manors Stonewall Parade and Festival around 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Police have not released the names of the driver or the men he hit. Both victims were taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where one later died.
The driver was wearing a Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus T-shirt and had a large pride flag on his truck. All three men were members of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, said Justin Knight, the group’s president.
The group posted a message on Facebook Sunday morning: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death and injuries that occurred as a result of an unfortunate accident at the start of the Stonewall Pride Parade. As the Chorus family mourns together, we thank the community for their love and understanding.”
Knight, who was not at the parade, declined to comment further Sunday, a spokesman said.
Michael Albetta, a Fort Lauderdale resident and regional director of the Florida LGBTQ Democratic Caucus, saw it all firsthand.
Albetta was standing next to Mayor Dean Trantalis and Congressman Ted Deutch, D-Fla., at the front of the parade.
“I was about 30 feet away when this vehicle rushed by me,” he said. “He must have been doing 50 mph. All I saw was bodies flying up in the air. One man’s laying on the ground with blood all over the place. And I saw the truck take this one guy through the fence. It was horrific.”
Albetta, who saw police handcuff the driver and place him in a squad car, did not want to speculate about the driver’s intent.
“I don’t know what I don’t know,” he said. “All I know is what I saw. There was a whoosh and there was bump bump. Those were the bodies he was hitting. I was just trying to get people out of the way. Everyone was in shock. It’s something you see on TV, not in person. It was a very ugly, surreal moment.”
Trantalis witnessed the event and told reporters Saturday night he thought the man intentionally drove through the crowd.
Trantalis released a statement saying he was mistaken.
“Last evening, at the start of what was to be a celebration of pride for the LGBT community and commemoration of our hard-won victories for equality, our community faced the worst of tragedies,” he said. “The grief of the LGBT community — and greater Fort Lauderdale as a whole — is palpable.
“I was an eyewitness to the horrifying events. It terrorized me and all around me. I reported what I saw to law enforcement and had strong concerns about what transpired — concerns for the safety of my community. I feared it could be intentional based on what I saw from mere feet away.
“Law enforcement took what appeared obvious to me and others nearby and investigated further — as is their job. As the facts continue to be pieced together, a picture is emerging of an accident in which a truck careened out of control. As a result, one man died, two others were injured and the lives of two members of Congress were at risk. My heart breaks for all impacted by this tragedy.”
The driver came within inches of hitting a convertible that was to drive Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz through a parade route that was to start in Fort Lauderdale and move through Wilton Manors, the gay-friendly town to the north.
Wasserman Schultz was seen in tears minutes after the incident as she was comforted by Deutch.
Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newton released a statement of support Sunday: “I want to offer our deepest condolences to the deceased victim’s family and friends — and our continued thoughts and prayers to the other victim who was struck in this tragic event. To the first responders who worked swiftly and diligently to care for the victims and are conducting a thorough investigation, we are deeply grateful for your efforts.”
Albetta was thankful the incident was not worse.
“Until the FBI concludes their investigation, we don’t know whether it was an accident,” he said. “Now there’s all this speculation. Everyone is playing detective now. Let the real detectives do their work and tell us what really happened.
“When I put my key in my door last night I was so grateful to home and happy and safe. You read about this happening in other places. You never think it’s going to happen in your hometown.”
