This time of year is supposed to be a joyous time. We celebrate Thanksgiving later this week and then we kick off the rest of the holiday season. It’s a special time of the year, even for those who aren’t particularly religious or who practice different religions. We kind of all have something to love about this time of the year.

Unfortunately, thanks to someone in an SUV, we as a nation also have something to mourn after the driver plowed his way through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

At least five people are dead and 40 injured after a vehicle barreled through a holiday parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday, according to the city government.

“At this time, we can confirm that 5 people are deceased and over 40 are injured,” the government posted on its social media sites late Sunday.

“However, these numbers may change as we collect additional information,” it added.

 A large section of Main Street remains closed as the investigation continues.

In an earlier update, the police said an officer attempted to stop the vehicle:

Multiple people were killed after an SUV plowed into crowds at a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Sunday night, officials said.

City and law enforcement officials just gave an update on the incident. Many details are still unclear, but here’s what we know so far:

• “Some fatalities”: Both Police Chief Dan Thompson and Fire Chief Steven Howard said there were “some fatalities” after a red SUV slammed into crowds at the parade. Neither official gave an exact number, and Howard noted, “we do not have any detailed information on the fatalities at this time.”
• 23 people taken to hospitals: At least 11 adults and 12 pediatric patients were taken to six Waukesha-area hospitals following the incident, Howard said. He said officials did not have specific information about any of the injuries at this time.
• A person of interest is in custody: Thompson said a “person of interest” is in custody following the parade crash. Earlier in the day, he told reporters that officials had recovered the suspected vehicle.
• An officer tried to stop the SUV: Thompson noted that one police officer discharged his weapon at the suspect’s vehicle to try to stop it. “No bystanders were injured by a result of the weapon discharge,” Thompson said.

In other words, this isn’t just some tragic accident. This doesn’t appear to be someone whose brakes went out at the worst possible time. No, this is someone who apparently wanted to kill or injure people.

This is a mass murder and is no different than a mass shooter, though I doubt there will be calls for “common sense SUV control” going forward.

This “person of interest” is definitely interesting, too. At least, it is if The Post Millenial is identifying him correctly. (I’m not posting his name. I refuse to help make him famous.)

More specifically, his criminal history is interesting.

[He] is a career criminal with multiple priors and was released from jail two days prior to the incident after posting a $1,000 bail for three misdemeanors and two felonies. He has a history of resisting arrest, obstruction, battery, statutory sexual seduction, strangulation and suffocation, property destruction, illegal firearm possession, bail jumping, domestic violence, drug related charges and is a registered sex offender.

Wow.

I mean, dude, they’re felonies, not Pokemon. You don’t have to try and collect them all.

There have been allegations that this individual is a supporter of Black Lives Matter and may have been upset over the verdict in the Rittenhouse trial. If so, this is an act of domestic terrorism. However, I haven’t been able to find any confirmation of that, so don’t get too excited.

Regardless, this act illustrates a couple of points. One is that vehicles can be used as deadly weapons, which is why police often treat them as such. It also illustrates that it doesn’t take a firearm to kill and injure a pile of people. That means the issue with this lies with broken people, not insufficient laws.

I don’t expect some people to grasp that, unfortunately.

Update: fleeing the scene of another crimeOfficials do not believe the suspect was trying to kill people but was instead .