The driver suspected of plowing through the Waukesha holiday parade Sunday — killing five people and injuring 48 others — had an ongoing domestic violence case and was out of custody after prosecutors recommended an "inappropriately low" bail in the case, the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office said Monday.
Darrell Brooks Jr., the man suspected of being the driver, has been charged three times in less than two years with recklessly endangering the safety of others, most recently in an incident in which he is accused of running a woman over with his vehicle in Milwaukee, the Journal-Sentinel reports.
Police expect to refer five counts of first-degree intentional homicide and additional charges to prosecutors. The penalty for first-degree intentional homicide is a mandatory life prison sentence.
Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson confirmed Brooks' identity at a Monday afternoon news conference and said investigators learned Brooks was involved in a "domestic disturbance" before he drove into the parade route. Thompson said there was a report of a knife being involved, but police were unable to confirm that as of Monday afternoon.
