A man was hit by a van at a gay pride in Florida on June 19, 2021. – Chris Day / AP / SIPA
The parade was meant to be a party, it turned into a drama. The driver of a van struck several people gathered for a gay pride on Saturday in the United States, killing at least one man.
The incident, which is not yet known if it was a deliberate assault, took place at the start of the LGBTQ parade in the town of Wilton Manors, Florida. The driver of the van was arrested and then taken into police custody.
“It was deliberate, it was premeditated”
The vehicle had lined up with the participating floats, but sped up and struck several people. At least two men were struck by the vehicle and one of them died, mayor of nearby Fort Lauderdale, Dean Trantalis, in attendance at the parade, told the media Local 10 News. According to him, the van actually aimed at the car of Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, which was in a convertible, but narrowly missed it.
For the mayor, “this is a terrorist attack against the LGBT community”. “This is exactly what it is. Not really an accident. It was deliberate, it was premeditated, and it was targeted at a specific person. Fortunately, they missed that person but unfortunately they hit two other people ”.