Deadly SUV plows through group waiting for bus at Texas migrant aid center
Brownsville, United States, May 08: On Sunday morning, a tragic incident occurred in Brownsville, a border city at the southernmost tip of Texas, where at least seven people lost their lives and several others were injured when an SUV plowed through a group of people waiting at a bus stop outside a migrant aid center.
The gray sport utility vehicle went through a red light and ran over several people at around 8:30 am (1330 GMT), according to local police spokesman Martin Sandoval.
Though law enforcement is treating the incident as an accident for now, a witness told AFP that the driver had yelled insults at the group before accelerating. The witness, Luis Herrera, described the crash as sudden, and said that a woman had warned them to get out of the way before the SUV drove through, gesturing and insulting them. Herrera also said that the driver had accelerated the car with full force.
The motorist, who was also taken to the hospital, was detained by witnesses until police arrived, and has been charged for now with reckless driving. However, authorities have launched an investigation into whether the fatal crash was an accident or intentional.
Victor Maldonado, the executive director of the Ozanam Center, a homeless shelter across the street from the crash, said that the victims were among a crowd of about 25 people waiting at a bus stop. The group had just eaten breakfast at the facility, and all were Venezuelan, according to Maldonado. He described a grisly scene, with body parts left behind along the street. Witnesses were "really shocked," Maldonado said. "It was pretty intense."
Sandoval said that at least some of the victims were migrants, but could not confirm whether they all were. He also confirmed that the police are investigating the incident with border police.
Texas Congressman Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat whose district includes Brownsville, said on Twitter that he was "praying for all those involved in this horrific incident."
The news of the tragedy comes as authorities brace for the lifting on Thursday of a Donald Trump-era federal policy that allows border patrol officers to deport or turn away migrants without even accepting their asylum applications. The looming expiration of the rule known as Title 42 has authorities fearing a spike in undocumented migrants entering the United States.
The incident also comes a day after a shooter killed at least eight people at a shopping mall, also in Texas, in the latest mass shooting to rock the country.
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- With inputs from agencies
