Fred Johnson Jr., who has been named by police as the driver of the vehicle that veered out of control killing one person and injuring two others at Saturday’s Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors, FL, has offered his “sincere regrets to all those who were impacted by this tragic event.”
In a statement sent to The Daily Beast, Johnson, 77, who is a member of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus—as were the deceased, James “Jim” Fahey, 75, and two injured men, Jerry Vroegh, 67, and Gary Keating, 69—wrote, “This was a horrible accident... I love my Chorus family and the community, and would never do anything to intentionally harm anyone. Please know that I hold my fellow Chorus member, Jim Fahy, in my heart forever and offer my condolences to his friends and family.”
In another statement sent to The Daily Beast, Justin Knight, President of the Chorus, said Fahy would be “deeply missed.”
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“It is with much regret that we confirm that Chorus member Jim Fahy was killed in the tragic accident which happened during the start of the Stonewall Pride Parade,” Knight wrote. “He was a longtime, valued member of our Chorus family and he will be deeply missed. We wish a speedy recovery for Chorus member Jerry Vroegh who was injured at the accident. We thank everyone for their concern, compassion and support.”
In a statement, Fort Lauderdale police said they were still gathering evidence, but so far the tragic event appeared to be a “terrible accident.”
Police had earlier said that Johnson “had ailments preventing him from walking the duration of the parade,” and was selected to drive the white pickup truck. “As the vehicle began to move forward in anticipation for the start of the parade, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly, striking two pedestrians... After striking the pedestrians, the driver continued across all lanes of traffic, ultimately crashing into the fence of a business on the west side of the street.”
Read it at The Daily Beast
