“We must resist the corrosive tendency to devalue the lives of immigrants, the poor, and the vulnerable. Pray for the victims, pray for the families and loved ones, and pray for our community,” Bishop Daniel Flores of the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville said in a statement. “As we await a fuller report from law enforcement authorities, let us stop for a moment to mourn these losses of life and to pray. Police are set to provide more information about the crash during a Monday morning news conference.Ĭommunity members marked a solemn Sunday mass at the Ozanam Center Sunday evening, just hours after the deadly crash across the street. The FBI is assisting local police with the investigation and Border Patrol is working to confirm the identities of the victims, authorities said. Witnesses have also described seeing the driver ignore a red light before driving up on a curb and running over people at the bus stop, according to Sandoval. Officers on scene Sunday after a vehicle plowed into a group of people, killing eight. A blood sample was also taken from the driver and a toxicology test will be ordered, he added.Īt the scene of the fatal crash Sunday, investigators were examining the mangled Range Rover, which could be seen with its windshield shattered and its driver-side door and hood damaged. The driver was uncooperative after the crash and gave authorities different names, Sandoval said. Two, we have to look at it as a malfunction of the car. We took a blood sample, and we have to turn it over to the Texas DPS crime lab. “We are looking at it three different ways,” Sandoval said. “We are looking at what the DA can formulate from the video to see if they have enough to potentially face charges.” “The video is part of a separate incident investigation but related to the accident,” Sandoval said. Sandoval told CNN that investigators were made aware of the video Monday morning. He said the driver tried to run away and yelled obscenities, but witnesses stopped him. Romero said after the crash, the driver exited his vehicle and appeared to be impaired. “Some of the men killed had just arrived the night before,” he said while tears rolled down his face. Exclusive video obtained by CNN shows a group of people trying to restrain the man after the crash.Ĭesar Romero, 34, is a Venezuelan national who said he witnessed the crash and saw his friends run over by the vehicle. ABC affiliate KRGV/ReutersĪfter the crash, witnesses at the scene detained the driver until officers arrived, police said. At the time, the center’s director said migrants from all over the world were starting to stay at his shelter and he was seeing an uptick in stays.Ī law enforcement officer investigates a damaged vehicle after it ran into pedestrians near Ozanam Center, a shelter for migrants and homeless, in Brownsville, Texas, on May 7. US Customs and Border Protection officials already have seen an uptick in migrants at the border with Mexico in anticipation of the expiration of Title 42.ĬNN interviewed migrants staying at the Ozanam Center in December. The fatal crash comes as border towns like Brownsville are bracing for a migrant surge when the public health emergency measure known as Title 42 lapses on Thursday. Seven victims are still in the hospital and three have been released, Sandoval told CNN Monday. The driver received medical care and was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving, Brownsville Police spokesman Martin Sandoval said. They were staying at our shelter because they arrived in this country with very little.” “The individuals injured and killed are asylum-seekers. “The staff and residents of the Ozanam Center are devastated by Sunday’s tragic event,” Maldonado said in a statement. KRGVĭeath toll increases to 8 after car plows into a crowd in front of a Texas shelter that was housing migrants Brownsville police say seven people are dead and multiple were hospitalized after a driver ran them over.
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