Waukesha tragedy: Daniel Rider made sandwich for Darrell Brooks before arrest at home
On November 21, Darrell Brooks drove into a parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing six and injuring over 50. He was arrested shortly afterward in the city, leading to a cascade of revelations about him. Over the past several days, we've come to learn a lot about Brooks, who is also a rapper known as MathBoi Fly.
it has since come to public attention that Brooks is a career criminal, with a long rap sheet including battery, drug possession, obstructing an officer, and bail jumping. In fact, he's wanted in Nevada for not complying with bail conditions, after he was convicted for a sex offense. In early November, Brooks also ran over the mother of his child with the same car he used in the Waukesha tragedy.
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We've also come to learn that Brooks was recently made homeless, after his grandmother and nephew filed a no-contact order, forcing him out of their house. It appears he used that situation to try and get some help from an unsuspecting resident, identified as Daniel Rider. As any good samaritan would do, Rider helped Brooks, before police swarmed his residence, and he became aware of the gravity of the situation.
Who is Daniel Rider?
A Wisconsin native, Rider is an employee of the Waukesha Wastewater Treatment Plant according to his social media profile. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, and while studying there was awarded an academic excellence award by the Central States Water Environment Association in 2019. Little else is available about Rider to indicate he is nothing short of an upstanding citizen whose life quickly made national headlines on November 21.
After driving through the parade, it appears Brooks dumped the SUV and went up to Rider's house. At around 5.00 pm (20 minutes after the tragedy), he rang the bell to ask Rider for help. Speaking to NBC News, Rider said he had been away on a hunting trip and was just watching football when the incident occurred. He was unaware of it till the police arrived. "I called an Uber and I'm supposed to be waiting for it over here, but I don't know when it's coming. Can you call it for me please? I'm homeless," Brooks told Rider, with the encounter captured on Rider's doorbell camera.
As Brooks was shivering, Rider invited him inside, gave him a jacket, and even made him a sandwich. He also let Brooks use his phone. Minutes later, the house was swarmed with police. "All of a sudden, I look outside my street and I see a few cop cars drive by and I'm getting extra nervous," he said. He then asked Brooks to leave, and he did. But he quickly tried to get back in, claiming he left his ID inside. "Then the next thing you know, you see the cops with lights on him saying, 'hands in the air, hands in the air'," Rider recalled. Cops then approach Brooks and take him into custody. Rider even shared the video with NBC, which was later uploaded on YouTube.
Shortly after, Brooks was charged with five counts of intentional homicide, which is the legal equivalent of first-degree murder in Wisconsin. On November 23, a sixth victim was confirmed to have died - eight-year-old Jackson Sparks. It's unclear if an additional count will be added for Sparks' death. The same day, Brooks made his first court appearance where bail was set at $5 million.