MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

'He must've snapped': Neighbors reveal Darrell Brooks lived with mom and spoke to himself

Brooks' neighbors told him that they had seen him around the neighborhood but never interacted with him

Darrell Brooks Jr., the suspect who has been accused of killing five and injuring 48 people after he plowed through a Christmas parade in an SUV in Waukesha on Sunday, November 21, was seen "talking to himself" before he 'snapped', claim neighbors.

Authorities, on November 22, said Brooks has been charged with five counts of intentional homicide, which is the legal equivalent of first-degree murder in Wisconsin. The state classifies it as a Class A felony, which carries a minimum sentence of life in prison. So far, he has not been charged with anything else, but additional charges could follow. At the news conference, authorities revealed he was acting alone, and the incident has not been classified as a terrorist attack yet. The slain victims were identified as Virginia Sorenson, 79, Leanna Owens, 71, Tamara Durand, 52, James Coolidge, 52 and Wilhelm Hospel, 82. Officials said on Monday that 18 children were treated at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin following the alleged rampage.

RELATED ARTICLES

Darrell Brooks aka Mathboi Fly: What are the charges against Waukesha suspect?

Waukesha tragedy: Suspect Darrell Brooks may have been fleeing knife fight scene

'He must've snapped'

Brooks' neighbors told him that they had seen him around the neighborhood but never interacted with him. Some of them did not even know who he was. "I didn't know him more than 'hi and bye' but I remember seeing that red truck parked there," they said. The neighbor, who spoke anonymously, must be referring to the red SUV which was seen in a horrific video speeding through a crowded Waukesha before it wreaked havoc at the parade. Brooks "was always a little off," one neighbor, who didn't want to be identified, told the Sun.

"He must've snapped," a neighbor, identified only through her first name, Ebony, said. "The whole thing is messed up but it doesn't surprise me." The outlet reported that Brooks shared a house with his mother. However, when media tried knocking on his door, no one answered. On Monday night, the streets on both sides of the Brooks' house were otherwise commotion-free. Some of the neighbors who returned home said that while they were aware of the incident, they didn't realize the suspect lived on their block.

Darrell Brooks' criminal history

Brooks is also facing another case of running over a woman. Earlier in November, Brooks reportedly confronted a woman outside a motel and ran over her with his vehicle. He was charged on November 5 over that incident, but let go on a $1,000 bail, which he posted on November 11. CBS Chicago has identified the woman as the mother of his child.

That incident also saw Brooks getting slapped with charges of resisting or obstructing an officer, bail jumping, recklessly endangering safety, disorderly conduct, and battery. Brooks is also a wanted man in Nevada, where he failed to register as a sex offender. In 2016, he bailed out after pleading guilty to impregnating a 15-year-old and since left the state.