BFF-10 One killed as truck hits crowd at Florida Pride parade

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US-CRIME-PARADE-LGBTQ

One killed as truck hits crowd at Florida Pride parade

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – The driver of a pickup truck slammed
into a crowd gathering for a Pride parade Saturday in south Florida, killing
at least one man, US media reports said.

It was not immediately clear if this was a deliberate assault.

The incident happened at the start of the LGBTQ parade in the town of
Wilton Manors near Ft. Lauderdale. The driver was later taken into custody.

The truck was lined up with floats for the parade but hit the gas and ran
into people, Local 10 News said.

At least two men were hit and one died, Ft. Lauderdale mayor Dean
Trantalis, who was at the parade, told the broadcaster.

He said the truck had actually targeted the car of a Democratic
congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was in a convertible waiting to
take part in the procession, but narrowly missed her.

“This is a terrorist attack against the LGBT community,” Trantalis told
Local 10 News.

“This is exactly what it is. Hardly an accident. It was deliberate, it was
premeditated, and it was targeted against a specific person. Luckily they
missed that person, but unfortunately, they hit two other people.”

BSS/AFP/MSY/0900hrs