After Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, Kevin Zeitler tweeted that he attended the parade yearly while growing up in Waukesha and couldn't "fathom this happening.''
Organizers of the First Annual Christmas Parade in Franklin, 15 miles southeast of Waukesha, say the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies have contacted them and plan on joining the parade Dec. 4. Three of the dance troupe members were killed in the Waukesha parade tragedy.
"We're sensitive to the tragedy in Waukesha and wish to honor the spirit of those who were killed or hurt by participating in the celebration of the Christmas holiday season with a parade," Franklin Mayor Steve Olson said.
Olson said he was confident that the Franklin event will be safe and enjoyable for families.
"Please come and support these awesome ladies," Franklin parade organizers said in a Facebook post.
Five counts of first-degree intentional homicide have been filed against Darrell Brooks Jr., 39, of Milwaukee. Authorities said a sixth homicide charge would be filed because of Jackson Sparks' death. Police say Brooks was fleeing a domestic disturbance where a knife was reported when he drove an SUV into the parade route.
The criminal complaint says Brooks plowed into pedestrians despite multiple opportunities to exit the route, according to eyewitnesses.
A charge of first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life prison sentence, if convicted. Brooks, who has a lengthy record of arrests, was ordered held Tuesday on $5 million bail.
Brooks was free on $1,000 bail posted Friday for another pending case that included an allegation he deliberately hit a woman with his car in early November after a fight. The $1,000 bail, which was recommended by prosecutors, was called “inappropriately low,” according to a statement this week from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office. The amount also has drawn criticism from conservatives including former President Donald Trump, who called the amount "very low" and argued that Brooks should not have been freed in the days before the Waukesha carnage.
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