The wife of Catholic speaker and radio personality Dave Durand was killed Sunday when a speeding Ford Escape sports utility vehicle plowed into a crowded Christmas parade in downtown Waukesha, Wis.
Tamara L. Durand, 52, was among five people killed when the red SUV careened down the parade route, running over, hitting and injuring nearly 50 people, authorities said. Police described the tragedy as an intentional act and plan to recommend five counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the driver. Police said the suspect is Darrell Edward Brooks Jr., 39, of Milwaukee; a man with an extensive criminal record going back more than 20 years. He is in police custody pending a court appearance on the expected homicide charges. Police have not released any motive for the attack.
Tamara Durand was a new member of the beloved Milwaukee Dancing Grannies choreographed dance troupe, a staple in community parades in southeastern Wisconsin. “First Milwaukee Dancing Grannies parade!” she wrote on her Facebook page. “So excited!” Other members of the Dancing Grannies killed by the SUV were Virginia Sorenson, 79; LeAnna Owen, 71; and Wilhelm Hospel, 81, who assisted the group. The Grannies were a featured act in the 58th Annual Waukesha Christmas Parade. Also killed in the massacre was Jane Kulich, 52.
Tamara Durand (maiden name Carlson) married Dave Durand in February 2013. She had been an elementary school teacher and cheerleading coach with the Beaver Dam Unified School District, according to the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen.
She was a 1992 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Dave Durand is a well-known Catholic speaker, businessman and host of the Dave Durand Show on Relevant Radio. Dave Durand has had extensive involvement with Milwaukee-based Men of Christ, appearing in a 2020 video promoting Eucharistic Processions as an answer to the summer riots in Madison and across the nation. He is also the CEO and founder of Best Version Media in Brookfield, Wis.
In 2009, Tamara Durand rescued a man who fell into the swift currents of the Wisconsin River. “I was laying on my stomach on the ledge trying to get him to come to me. When he came to a wall he couldn’t climb it. He kept going under so I pulled him 50 feet along the retaining wall,” she said at the time, according to the Daily Citizen. “It was a miracle I never fell in myself. I kept encouraging him, saying things like, ‘have faith,’ and ‘God will help you.’ ”
Among the 48 injured at the parade was a Catholic priest and students from the Waukesha Catholic School System, according to Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
“When confronted with the shock and the grief encountered by our brothers and sisters in Waukesha, it is now important for us to turn to our faith, which offers us God’s loving presence and consolation,” Listecki said in a video statement. “Our prayers are with the people who have been injured and killed during the tragic incident in Waukesha. Among the injured are one of our Catholic priests as well as multiple parishioners and Waukesha Catholic school children. Please join us in prayer for all those involved, their families and those who are traumatized from witnessing the horrible scene.”
Nearly 40 minutes into the 4 p.m. parade, an SUV police said was driven by Brooks smashed through police barricades and raced down the parade route at high speeds. He had just left the scene of a nearby domestic disturbance but was not being chased, police said. A police officer near the parade fired at the vehicle in an attempt to stop Brooks. Horrified onlookers screamed and jumped to get out of the way as the SUV ran over and struck dozens of parade participants. Police, firefighters, paramedics and bystanders tended to victims strewn about the street. Eighteen of the injured were children, taken to Children’s Wisconsin, a pediatric acute-care hospital in Wauwatosa, Wis. Six were in critical condition as of Monday evening. At least eight of the children underwent surgery Sunday and Monday.
“The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies are devastated by this terrible tragedy with of loss of life and injuries in the Waukesha Christmas parade,” the group wrote on its Facebook page. “Our group was doing what they loved, performing in front of crowds in a parade putting smiles on faces of all ages, filling them with joy and happiness. While performing the grannies enjoyed hearing the crowds cheers and applause which certainly brought smiles to their faces and warmed their hearts.”
Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly said the annual Christmas parade is something the entire community turns out for. “Last night we experienced a senseless tragedy,” Reilly said at a news conference. “Many of us were participants in the parade and witnessed these horrific actions. We are all trying to process what we experienced. Our police, firefighters, partners and so many others sprang into action immediately last night to help the people that were injured.”
Reilly described Waukesha as a close-knit community that loves its community celebrations. “Waukesha has held what could be described as a Norman Rockwell type of Christmas parade for almost six decades,” he said. “Last night, our wonderful Waukesha parade became the scene of a horrific tragedy. Last night that parade became a nightmare. Last night, many were severely injured. Last night lives were lost in the middle of what should have been a celebration.”
Brooks had just been released from custody after posting a $1,000 bond, after being charged with two felonies and three misdemeanors from a Nov. 2 incident in Milwaukee County. He also has an open felony case from 2020. In one of those cases, he was accused of trying to run over a woman at a gas station after hitting her in the face. In the other case, he allegedly shot at two people during a fight, according to Milwaukee media. Brooks is an aspiring rapper who goes under the name “MathBoi Fly,” according to his now-deleted Facebook page.
Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm released a letter saying the $1,000 bond in the Nov. 2 case was a mistake. “The State’s bail recommendation in this case was inappropriately low in light of the nature of the recent charges and the pending charges against Mr. Brooks,” Chisholm wrote. “The bail recommendation in this case is not consistent with the approach of the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office toward matters involving violent crime, nor was it consistent with the risk assessment of the defendant prior to setting of bail.” Chisholm said an internal review of the case is underway.
After being hospitalized for a week in 2004, Tamara Durand wrote a letter to the editor praising the efforts of the staff at Beaver Dam Community Hospital. “In this day of high-paid rock/jock models, we need to take a moment to realize who the real role models should be,” she wrote. “The role models are the men and women in the health care profession who, day and and day out, deal with pain, confusion, suffering, helplessness and trauma.”
“Next time you see a nurse or doctor, thank them for sharing their gift with us,” she wrote. “For one day you may be the one suffering. It will then be a nurse who gives you medicine and holds your hand until the pain disappears.”
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