By Brian Brant
(This story has been updated with new developments.)
(FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.) The 77-year-old driver who hit two fellow members of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, killing one, did not intentionally cause the incident as previously speculated.
“The early investigation now indicates it looks like it was a tragic accident, but nobody’s saying finally what it is,” Wilton Manors Vice Mayor Paul Rolli told The Associated Press.
A statement from the Fort Lauderdale Police said the driver suffered from ailments that prevented him from walking and that he is cooperating with investigators after the deadly accident.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, the city's first openly gay mayor, had told reporters the incident was on purpose until the early investigation proved otherwise.
Trantalis said the driver, who remains unidentified, suddenly accelerated when he was told he was next in the parade, crashing into the victims.
The incident, which Trantalis said "terrorized" him and others, also led to the parade's cancelation.
"I feared it could be intentional based on what I saw from mere feet away,” he said in a Twitter statement Sunday. “As the facts continue to be pieced together, a picture is emerging of an accident in which a truck careened out of control.”
Original Story:
A member of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus is the suspect who hit two men, killing one, ahead of the Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors, Florida.
NBC News reports the driver’s truck was expected to be a part of the group’s entry.
Justin Knight, the group’s president, confirmed the suspect’s allegiance to the group in a statement.
"Our fellow Chorus members were those injured and the driver is also a part of the Chorus family," he said in a statement. "To my knowledge, this was not an attack on the LGBTQ community."
The driver, who has not been named, killed one man and injured another one ahead of the parade Saturday as it was about to begin.
The other victim is expected to survive.
“We know two individuals marching to celebrate inclusion and equality were struck by a vehicle," Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a statement. "One person has died and the other remains hospitalized."
Detective Ali Adamson said in a news conference that the crash remains under investigation. The FBI is assisting in their inquiry.
We are evaluating all possibilities," Adamson said. "Nothing is out of the question right now."
Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was at the event during the incident.
"I am so heartbroken by what took place at this celebration," she said in a statement.
“This tragedy took place within feet of me and my BSO team, and we are devastated having witnessed this horrific incident," Tony said. "Our prayers are with the victims and their families."
The annual pride parade was canceled after the crash.