Authorities on Sunday said the car accident Pride activity in Florida, which left one person dead, was “tragic”.
According to Gary Blocker, Wilton Manors police chief, Fort Lauderdale investigators, along with the FBI, have helped the local law enforcement team to form their judgement.
“Today we know yesterday’s incident was a tragic accident, and not a criminal act directed at anyone, or any group of individuals,” the police chief said.
On Saturday evening, two men were stuck by the truck at a Pride march that was going to start near Fort Lauderdale.
One of the stuck individuals was killed, officers said.
The driver of the truck and the victims were both part of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, the organization’s head Justin Knight said on Saturday. The vehicle was one of the group’s entries in the Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors.
“Our fellow Chorus members were those injured and the driver is also a part of the Chorus family,” Knight clarified in a statement. “To my knowledge, this was not an attack on the LGBTQ community.”
“We know two individuals marching to celebrate inclusion and equality were struck by a vehicle,” Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony, meanwhile, said. “One person has died and the other remains hospitalized.”
The driver and the victims were not identified yet. No further details were divulged by Blocker.
Initially, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, who was also present at the parade, said the accident was a “terrorist attack on the LGBT community.”
The mayor on Sunday cleared his statement and said the probe proved that the crash was an apparent unintentional event involving a vehicle that “careened out of control.”
“My heart breaks for all impacted by this tragedy,” Trantalis said.
