Darrell Brooks Jr., the accused driver in the Waukesha Christmas Parade massacre, charged with 5 counts of first-degree intentional homicide

Darrell Brooks appears in Waukesha County Court on Nov. 23, 2021.

The man authorities say drove into the Waukesha Christmas parade on Sunday was charged Tuesday with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide, and will face at least a sixth after an 8-year-old boy died Tuesday from his injuries.

The criminal complaint contains this chilling observation from one police officer who watched Darrell Brooks pass by several options to exit the parade route, and instead increase his speed:

"At this point, it was clear to (the officer) that this was an intentional act to strike and hurt as many people as possible."

In addition to the deaths, more than 60 people were injured, a number authorities have continued to revise as they identify other victims who were taken to the hospital by bystanders or family and fled during the chaos of Sunday.

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Brooks Jr., 39, of Milwaukee, made his initial court appearance shortly after 4 p.m., wearing a green padded suicide-prevention gown. He hung his head at the defense table during the hearing.

Waukesha County District Attorney Sue Opper cited Brooks' long record of convictions around Wisconsin and in other states before asking for $5 million bail. Court Commissioner Kevin Costello called the amount extraordinary, but fitting for an extraordinary case.

"The nature of this offense is shocking," Costello said, citing the efforts police made to stop Brooks and their observations that he seemed to deliberately mow down participants and spectators.

Costello set Brooks' preliminary examination for Jan. 14.

Opper said she expects a sixth count of first-degree intentional homicide will be filed as early as Friday, and that other charges are likely to come as well. Each count, if Brooks is convicted, carries a mandatory life sentence.

Charged with 10 crimes since 1999: Darrell Brooks is the suspect in the Waukesha Christmas Parade incident.

Waukesha victims identified

Police identified the initial five victims who died as Virginia Sorenson, 79; LeAnna Owen, 71; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Kulich, 52; and Wilhelm Hospel, 81.

Sorenson, Owen and Durand were members of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies and Hospel was helping the dance troupe during its parade performance. Kulich was remembered as a loving mother, grandmother and friend.

In addition, Jackson Sparks, an 8-year-old boy who was marching in the Waukesha Christmas Parade with his baseball team, has died from his injuries.

Jackson’s death was announced Tuesday afternoon on his verified GoFundMe page and was confirmed by his baseball club and his family’s church.

Jackson's 12-year-old brother, Tucker, was also struck by the SUV.

According to his GoFundMe page, Jackson underwent brain surgery on Sunday.

Police tried to stop driver

According to the criminal complaint, the parade was underway when Waukesha Det. Tom Casey got word of a maroon 2010 Ford Escape coming south down White Rock Avenue toward the parade route.

Casey, dressed in full police uniform and a safety vest, stepped in front of the Escape, pounded on the hood and yelled "Stop" several times. But the car didn't stop, and instead turned west onto Main Street, brushing the detective. Casey chased on foot, and at first thought the driver might be lost.

Around East Avenue, the Escape picked up speed and began striking people and Casey radioed for emergency backup.

Officer Bryce Butryn was also working the parade when he saw the Escape approaching on Main St. at about 25 mph. He, too, tried to get in front and stop the vehicle. He said he noticed Brooks staring straight ahead without emotion as he drove along the north edge of the street, between parade participants and spectators.

Butryn thought the vehicle might turn right at Barstow Street to exit the parade route, but instead it sped up and turned left into parade participants amid a squeal of tires.

Witnesses told police the car seemed to be zig-zagging down Main Street trying to hit as many people as possible.

Another officer fired three shots at Brooks in attempt to stop the carnage, but he was able to drive away and try to hide the car near Carrol University before he was later arrested at a house where he has asked for help, saying he was homeless.

More Coverage: What we know about the Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy

Darrell Brooks' long history with law enforcement

The suspect has a history of criminal allegations involving violence, court records show.

He recently had been released from custody in a similar case, in which he was accused of driving over a woman at a gas station on Nov. 2 during a domestic dispute, sending her to the hospital and leaving tire marks on her pant leg.

The woman told police she thought Brooks was trying to kill her and that it was the latest incident of violence by Brooks against her, according to police reports from the incident obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The reports also indicate Brooks suffers from mental health issues for which he is supposed to be taking medications. The diagnosis is redacted from the reports.

Police later found Brooks at his mother's house, despite a court order that he not have contact with her. He denied he had injured his girlfriend.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office has come under intense scrutiny for the decision by an assistant prosecutor to seek bail of $1,000 in the gas station case.

At the time, Brooks was out on bail in a different case, in which he was charged with firing a gun during an argument with a relative. Brooks was released on Nov. 16 after he posted the $1,000 bail.

That bail, approved by a court commissioner, was “inappropriately low,” according to the DA's office, which in a statement indicated District Attorney John Chisholm has launched an internal review of the case.

Brooks has been charged with crimes 10 times since 1999, when at age 17 he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of inflicting substantial bodily harm against another person, according to court records.

Brooks caught on doorbell video

About 20 minutes after Sunday's crash, Brooks knocked on an area resident's door. NBC News, which first reported on the doorbell video that captured the encounter, reported that Brooks told the man who answered the door that he was homeless and waiting for an Uber. He was wearing a T-shirt and appeared to be shivering.

The man told NBC he'd been hunting that day and didn't know about the tragedy at the parade. He said he let Brooks inside, gave him a sandwich and a jacket and let him use a phone. Then the resident saw police cars going by and asked Brooks to leave.

Just as Brooks did, police arrived and arrested him. Part of that interaction was captured on the security video.

The man later told the Journal Sentinel he had sold the rights to the doorbell video and could no longer talk with other news outlets.

Tense scene inside the courtroom

Judy Daniels has a 16-year-old granddaughter who was at the parade Sunday. She said the teenager was “traumatized mentally” because of the tragedy.

So she decided to attend the court hearing Tuesday to look Brooks in the eyes when he made his first appearance in court.

She plans to attend every future court hearing related to the incident.

“This is going to take a long time for her to overcome, but we’ll see her through,” Daniels said about her granddaughter, adding that Brooks missed hitting her with his vehicle by a few feet.

The courtroom — which was filled with media, families of the victims and Waukesha County Sheriff deputies — stayed quiet as the suspect's past charges were read aloud by Opper.

At one point, a deputy passed a box of Kleenex to a woman seated in the first row.

Sophie Carson, Evan Casey, John Diedrich and Raquel Rutledge of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

Contact Ashley Luthern at ashley.luthern@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @aluthern.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Darrell Brooks Jr. charged in Waukesha Christmas parade deaths