Multiple people were injured after a car drove into a crowd during a Native American parade in Gallup, New Mexico, Thursday evening.
New Mexico state police said those injured include two officers who were being treated on the scene of the attack. Police also confirmed the driver of the SUV is in custody. NBC’s Eric McLaughlin said all three passengers inside the vehicle were detained during a “Today” segment.
New Mexico State Police Lt. Mark Soriano said no one died as a result of the attack but did not provide any details on those injured, according to The Albuquerque Journal.
A video shared by ABC News shows parade attendees screaming and running as an SUV swerves on the road the event was taking place at.
William Hawk-Birdshead, a medic who was an eyewitness to the incident, told Native News Online he saw the SUV accelerating and driving into the Intertribal Ceremonial Parade a few moments after Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez showed up.
“People were screaming,” Hawk-Birdshead said. “It was horrifying to witness. I can’t imagine the trauma this has caused for the people.”
Nez, who said he was right by the vehicle as it drove through the parade, held a Facebook Live following the incident.
“We were in the path of the vehicle,” Nez said. “Thank God, that the folks that were around me, our team members, our council delegates were not struck by the vehicle.”
“This is just evil. Creeping into our communities,” Nez continued. “We’re all shooken up.”
The parade was part of 100th Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial events scheduled to run from Aug. 4 to Aug. 14. The ceremonial is “one of the oldest continuous recognitions of Native American culture and heritage and known for attracting an international audience,” according to a press release detailing the events.
