Child, 8, named as sixth victim of deadly Wisconsin Christmas parade crash

Jackson Sparks has died of his injuries following the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack. Credit: AP

An eight-year-old boy has become the sixth person to die after a man drove an SUV into a Christmas parade in Wisconsin.

Jackson Sparks was walking in the Waukesha Christmas Parade on Sunday with his 12-year-old brother Tucker, who sustained a fractured skull in the incident, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help the family cover medical bills.

“This afternoon, our dear Jackson has sadly succumbed to his injuries and passed away,” the page’s organiser and niece of the boy's parents, Alyssa Albro, wrote.

Five people, ranging in age from 52 to 81, were pronounced dead within hours and more than 60 people were injured after a car was driven through the Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee.

Darrell Brooks Junior has been charged with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide, a charge that carries a mandatory life sentence if convicted.

Man appears in court after deadly Wisconsin parade crash as sixth victim dies
Darrell Brooks Junior has been charged with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide. Credit: AP

Additional charges relating to the sixth death and the more than 60 people injured will be coming later this week or next, said Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper.

The criminal complaint said the 39-year-old steered side-to-side with the intent of striking marchers and spectators, and that 62 people were injured, up from the 48 previously announced by police.

He rocked back and forth in his seat and cried throughout his court hearing on Tuesday, his lawyer’s arm on his back, as the charges against him were detailed.

His bail was set at 5 million dollars (£3.75 million), and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for January 14.

Candles are lit at a memorial at Veteran’s Park for the victims of Sunday’s deadly Christmas parade crash Credit: Jeffrey Phelps/AP

“The nature of this offence is shocking,” said Waukesha Court Commissioner Kevin Costello.

Brooks is accused of speeding away from police and entering the Waukesha Christmas parade on Sunday night, refusing to stop even as an officer banged on the roof of his SUV.

Another officer fired three shots into the vehicle, but it did not stop.

The city’s livestream video and bystander video captured the chaotic scene when an SUV sped along the parade route and then into the crowd.

Police canvas the streets in downtown Waukesha, Wisconsin, after a vehicle was driven into a Christmas parade Credit: Jeffrey Phelps/AP

Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said Brooks was leaving the scene of a domestic dispute that had taken place just minutes earlier when he drove into the parade route.

Hundreds gathered at a downtown park on Monday night in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for a candlelight vigil in honour of those lost and injured.